


Valyrians Rising!

by Not_So_Dark_One



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Character Death, Comfort, Conquest, Daenerys Targaryen Is Not a Mad Queen, Daenerys Targaryen Lives, Dark Dany, Dragon Riders, Dragonlords, Dragons, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Moments, Essos, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Smut, Free Cities, Gen, Happy Ending, He was just a brief fling who ended up killing her, House Stark, House Targaryen, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Love, Magic, Multi, Not for Stark fans, Not too much, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Daenerys, POV Jon Snow, POV Original Character, POV Sansa Stark, POV Tyrion Lannister, Plot, Poetic Justice, Post-Canon Fix-It, Pride, Queen Daenerys, Resurrection, Revenge, Romance, Sequel, Sorry Not Sorry, Targaryen Babies, Targaryen Restoration, Valyria, Valyrian Empire, Valyrian Steel Swords, Westeros, Westerosi Politics, Wildlings - Freeform, Wish Fulfillment, a not so calm Bran Stark, awkward at first, for some people only, fuck D&D, just a little bit of valyrian racism, not jonerys, the calm before the storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-08-14 09:16:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 34,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20189875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Dark_One/pseuds/Not_So_Dark_One
Summary: My first fan fiction on a sequel of Game of Thrones. I know almost everybody here doesn't like the ending of Season 8.Anyways. Daenerys is resurrected. Obviously.What if she (and Jon) aren't the last valyrians? What if one of the dragonlords survived the Doom? What if that person meets Daenerys?What will they do next? And how will they affect the world?WARNING: Not for Tyrion fans! And mayyyyyybe Stark fans. We will see how things turn out. :)Read and learn what I have in mind!





	1. Prologue

**The Doom of Valyria - 114 BC**

"RUN", he shouted.

"I SAID RUN", he screamed at me, pushing me away from the falling debris.

That is, or rather was my best friend with whom I have been learning magic since I was 10. I am 23 years old now and even though I am a prodigy at magic, even among my fellow dragonlords, and yet right now I am powerless to help my friend or anyone for that matter. Who would have thought something like this could happen?! Valyria dying!

The bigger they are, the bigger they fall. That is what my instructor in swordsmanship used to tell me. And now it applies to Valyria as well. My home. Look at it now! The sky is black with smoke and riddled with flames from the Fourteen Flames. Fire and dragonglass raining down from the skies. The very ground shaking and shattering. Dragons screaming. I have never heard of dragons screaming before. It is others who scream when they see them, the people who defy us at their peril, and yet they scream. Dragons falling from the sky, burning. My family and friends - dead most likely. I do not know what caused it and yet this seems to be the end. Well I have one thing to say to that:

"I WILL NOT DIE TODAY", I screamed at the sky, which turned out not to be such a smart idea because I almost choked to death on the ashes. But that wasn't desperation. I have a plan.

It all started 12 years ago when a certain woman named Daenys Targaryen dreamed of this event. Dragon dreams, that see into the future. A rare and powerful ability possessed by only few. Such dreams are greatly valued. And yet when that maiden spoke of her dream about the Doom of Valyria, nobody believed her. Nobody but me. Soon after, her father the dragonlord Aenar Targaryen took his entire family and all moveable property to a valyrian outpost, an island close to Westeros called Dragonstone.

Many laughed and soon forgot but not I. I devoted myself to studying magic in order to be able to survive such an event. 2 years ago I succeeded. I developed a spell that could help me do just that. Though to be honest I never believed it will be such a catastrophe. I don't know if I will succeed now but I will try. There.... crap.

"Urghh", I almost fell.

"Come on, I will not let one small chasm stop me". A rather huge chasm was standing between me and my target. But magic has its uses. I swiftly casted a spell to bridge the gap with a big chunk of black stone laying broken nearby.

"There we are - the Dragonvault." That was a huge repository of all of our people's knowledge. It included over 100 dragon eggs, artifacts, treasures and valyrian steel weapons and arms. It was build thousands of years ago in order to protect our people's knowledge and abilities for future generations. It has been nothing more than a museum for centuries now. Nothing could truly threaten Valyria until today. 

"It is perfect", the whole building has been coated with a thick layer of our special steel which is almost indestructible. Even if a hundred old dragons were to fire at it from the skies they still wouldn't be able to destroy it. I hope it truly is as durable as they say.

There, That is the perfect spot. I shall begin the chant. 

"It is working". After I finished with it, the spell started to take effect.

This spell was invented by me and its effect is this - it forms a protective cocoon around me which puts me into a deep sleep. Inside I will have no need for water or food and I will not age a day. The cocoon itself is indestructible. I have designed it so that only someone with valyrian blood in their veins can open it. All it takes is a touch.

But will it truly succeed? And if it works how long will I wait - days, weeks, years. It's not like I will feel the passage of time.

Why didn't anyone believe Daenys?

2 years ago I too had one of those dreams. Of a woman, the most beautiful woman in the world. A valyrian, naturally. She looked similar to Daenys but wasn't her. I have not met her yet, so I have the feeling that I will meet her when I wake up. Despite my age, I have not been with a woman yet, so the prospect of meeting the woman, who I may be fated to be with, certainly excites me.

This most certainly will not be the end of me:

The Dragonlord Aurion Balaerys! 

* * *

**Red Temple of Volantis, Volantis - 305 AC**

I died. That was a fact. Jon Snow had stabbed her in the heart. Jon Snow, not Aegon, not Targaryen. Just Snow, a bastard that is what he is, nothing more. How could I believe he loved me? I was born a fool and died one. That anger, that hatred at him, at myself, at not being able to fulfill my destiny. This world's liberator, savior, ruler. So many titles I had, too many to remember, and now only one matters - deceased.

Wait a second! If I am dead, then how can I think? I feel cold and angry. Wait, there is light. Light in this endless darkness. An image. A man, Valyrian by the looks of it. Handsome and...strong like myself. Among ash and fog. Sleeping, no not just sleeping. Waiting. Waiting to be awoken. She felt a need to find him. They had to wake up, both of them. Her first!

"No, I refuse. I REFUSE TO DIE! I have so much work to do. I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, The First of My Name, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains! I am the dragon and I will die when I decree!"

She struggled with the flames of all her fury and then......

She opened her eyes and saw them. Dozens of red priests and hundreds, no thousands of people surrounded her. And there was her last surviving child - Drogon, roaring in happiness of his mother's return. No doubt he is the reason that she is there in the first place.

A person who appears to be the leader of the red priests, their High priestess, dressed all in red and wearing a neckless with a glowing red gem, exclaimed:

"She rose. By the Lord of Light, she rose. Welcome back to the world of the living, Your Grace."

She rose on her feet and they all kneeled.

And so I have now conquered death itself!

I am Daenerys the Resurrected and I have so much work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think. I made up the name of this work's other main character. Please comment in the comment section. This is my first work here about which I am serious so opinions will be appreciated.  
Next chapter Daenerys looks for Aurion.


	2. Daenerys I | Jon I

**Valyrian Peninsula**

She was flying high above the clouds on the back of Drogon and was lost in thought. 

Who was that man in her vision? While very angry at all that happened in Westeros, she couldn't stop thinking about that. After spending a week or so in the Red Temple of Volantis recuperating from … well... her trip to the lands of death and back, she climbed on the back of her child and flew straight to Valyria. Surrounded by ash and fog and he was certainly a valyrian, richly dressed one come to that, so that was the obvious place to look for him.

Was this just a dream? Absurd. A vision is what that was. After all, she was being resurrected. What she saw before even opening her eyes must be of great importance. Kinvara - the High Priestess of the Lord of Light, among other titles, had convinced her of its importance.

"A gift form the Lord of Light" is what she said, not that Dany cared. She didn't believe much in Gods, magic sure but Gods not so much.

Her own people, the Valyrians, considered religions to be for the ignorant and lesser men. They tolerated all the various faith they encountered because they didn't want rebels to unite under the banner of a single god. A wise policy she also followed. 

And yet, how could someone survive the Doom and stay in Valyria for 500 years? Magic most like. Her people were very skilled in it. Dragons were but one of a dragonlord's many weapons. 

She soon came within sight of Valyria. Ruined, of course. Still, it wasn't as damaged as she imagined.

Many buildings were broken sure, but most were more or less intact. Their magnificence was simply breathtaking. Streets and buildings were made of oily black stone, there was gold, silver and gems of all sizes embedded in them. The buildings - grand and in such wonderful shapes. Despite all the damage from the Doom, time had otherwise done little damage to the place. There was still a lot of potential in this place. The thick fog she passed through though was simply disgusting. A foul stench. 

She had Drogon land in the middle of the largest island of the now broken peninsula. 

There was a building larger than most there that caught her eye. It was completely unscathed. It was as if it was built yesterday. 

"Amazing. I have the feeling I should start my search here.", she tough as she looked at it. It was like a monstrously large dome. Dany recognized that the entire structure was covered in valyrian steel, including the doors. They were closed but, thankfully, not locked otherwise she couldn't have entered. With some difficulty, and help from Drogon, she opened them and entered the building. 

It was amazing. She entered an enormous chamber with tables containing all sorts of items like valyrian steel weapons and armor of different design and artifacts like horns and books. There was even a dragon egg, turned to stone from age. The walls literally contained the history of Valyria, inscribed on them. Up until the Doom, that is.

The most interesting thing in the chamber was him. The man from her vision.

He had the typical valyrian features of silver hair and pale skin. She couldn't see the color of his eyes because they were closed. He was dressed richly - in gold and silk, a bit torn up but otherwise intact. He was handsome to be sure.

No, not again, not so soon. All the other times she fell in love with someone they either died or left, the last one was the death of her. And she didn't even know his name. 

Anyways, he was in some kind of a transparent cocoon, the spell most likely. How could she set him free? She didn't know much of magic, what if she broke it and it killed him?

She touched it, to see whether it was hard or not, and something happened.

The moment she touched it, the cocoon turned into water and poured itself on the floor. He fell on it soon after like a doll whose strings were cut.

She cradled his head into her hands and his eyes opened slowly as if he were a child just awoken from sleep.

"I knew you would find me", he said shakily in High Valyrian, "it was only a matter of when".

"My name is Daenerys Targaryen", she said after the surprise of his first words had passed. "Who are you?"

"A Targaryen, a relative of the Dreamer then. Fitting, I suppose. I am the dragonlord Aurion Balaerys. Happy to meet you!".

"The Dreamer as in Daenys the Dreamer. She is one of my ancestors."

"Ancestors? How long have I...."

Suddenly they were interrupted by Drogon's roar. It was coming from the outside. After helping him get on his feet they hurried for the doors as fast as they could. 

Suddenly they saw the cause of the roaring. Drogon was besieged by stone men. Those afflicted with greyscale that were in the final stages of the disease. She couldn't allow them to harm her last child. But there were too many of them. Drogon couldn't burn them all without getting touched by them. What could they do?

"Prince Garin's curse. So many of them. Curse you in turn, you foul creatures for forcing me to use such powerful magic moments after awakening", he said with irritation rather than anger in his voice.

He stepped more steadily on his feet, lifting his hands up and chanted in High Valyrian curses at them and then he simply said:

"Die", and they did. Dozens of grey men fell dead on the ground. He fainted.

* * *

**Hardhome, Beyond the Wall**

After killing Daenerys, Jon was exiled to the Night's Watch. It had always been a glorified penal colony. Now everybody simply knew where the glory truly came from. The Wall he didn't want though. So he, Tormund and the others left for the lands beyond.

With help from the Seven Kingdoms, or Six plus One, who could say these days, they had rebuilt Hardhome and expanded it. Now it was a sizeable town.

Trade was going well also with the Kingdoms and even with some of the free cities. They could, after all, offer a lot of rare animal hides and meat so there was that.

7 years ago he had sworn that he would take no wife, hold no lands father no children. Among other things.

For a short while he was the King in the North, not that he wanted it. The Northern lords had just dumped that burden on him.

Now since all the wildlings, for some reason, were listening to him and because king Bran I the Broken had declared them citizens of the realm like Stannis offered ones upon a time, Jon had also been declared Lord of Hardhome and Lord Paramount of the Lands Beyond the Wall. Again against his wishes, but who asks him.

Nobody in Hardhome was calling him "my lord", except as a joke, mostly Tormund.

As for the wife well, after all that had happened afterwards he had all but forgotten about Val, the strong and beautiful wildling who had taken a liking to him at the Wall. After returning to Hardhome they had met again. It was obvious that she liked him still and she helped him move on from Daenerys, the mad queen he had fallen for briefly and then forced to kill when madness took her.

He was still feeling bad about all that as everybody was to blame for her madness. Burning King's Landing was the first act of madness and with her death he hoped it would be the last. While he was in the dungeons of the ruined Red Keep, he had come to a realization.

At first he wanted to die and wondered why Drogon didn't kill him back then, he still wonders.

But then he felt completely free to be who he wanted to be.

Anyways, he had bonded with Val, and one thing led to another and now they were married. She had joked about it in the past but she was now his lady. He was quite happy about it too, surprisingly enough. They had married last week and since then they had been...well...busy. She wanted children and he was open to it as well. 

There are some moments when he feels guilty of moving on from Daenerys who he thought he loved, but these moments are turning shorter and fewer.

"Have you gotten lost in your thoughts again, my lord husband?", asked Val while riding him. They had been fucking for hours now and it was a miracle that she could joke or he think about anything other than how beautiful and well built she was.

"Not you, too", he exclaimed while she was laughing at his reaction. She and him finished almost simultaneously and she laid next to him. "I would be happy if no one called me ''lord''.

"And yet many do. Still it's not so bad. People in Hardhome chose you to lead them. You've earned it."

"I know, I know. Let's get dressed and go outside before Tormund decides to surprise us by bursting through the door, again.", the wildling had done that three times before. He was his best friend and what they did was not shameful, especially here but still it was annoying.

They did just that and went for a walk. When they reached the docks, they saw a familiar face - Ternesio Terys, the captain of a trading ship from Braavos.

"Greetings, my lord", again, well it's fine he is a foreigner. For them every Westerosi in a position of power was a lord. And Jon was one.

"Jon is fine. Well how are you? Did you bring anything interesting again?"

Food and wine was all well and good as well but there were many other curious things out there.

"Yes, yes, though I have heard rumors from the south that might interest you."

He didn't care much about the Free Cities and what they did there but still....

"Such as?"

" Rumors of a large black dragon flying around Volantis and Valyria."

Drogon is there then.

"And of a large ritual performed by the red priests in Volantis"

Impossible...… Oh, who am I kidding.

"So, she is back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think. Please comment in the comment section. This is my first work here which I am serious about so opinions will be appreciated.  
I am a bit neutral about the Burning of King's Landing and whether or not this Jon will suffer the wrath of my disappointment in show Jon's behavior depends on my mood in the future.  
Next back in Valyria and Winterfell


	3. Aurion I | Sansa I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my timeline is somewhat in flux, so let me explain. Events in Westeros are almost a year ahead of those in Essos. They should realign once Dany and Aurion's events reach them. I wanted to slow things down between those two a bit but we will see.

**Valyrian Peninsula **

"How are you feeling?", apparently he has been sleeping for an hour or so. Using such strong magic just after waking had drained him. Hardly the worst, considering the fact that all I knew is buried beneath ash and rock. It would have been a nightmare, if she weren't here. They were on the same ruined square, where he fainted, guarded by her dragon.

"As well as can be expected, all things considered.", according to what Daenerys had told him he had been sleeping for about 500 years, a hell of a lot more than I had expected. 

"Back then I assumed it would be a while before I woke up but still.... Oh well, at least I am back now. Thanks to you."

"You are welcome. How did you manage to vanquish the stone men like that?", she asked curiously.

"Magic, the old magic of our people. We, valyrians, are quite good at it. Not all of us are that good though, mind you. Even when Valyria still stood, I was known as one of the strongest magic users in the Freehold."

"There were so many wonderful people back then, weren't there? Now it is just the two of us.", she said in a sad tone.

"Two is much better than one and infinitely better than none. I am glad that I am not alone. That would have been the worst. Imagine, the mighty Valyrian civilization, lost forever."

"Well, it is. Most of the secrets of Valyria were lost in the Doom. Most of what people have now, is some valyrian steel weapons."

"Ha, ha seriously?! Oh well, they were all the rage even then. Much better than ordinary steel after all.", he smiled. Yes, our people sold valyrian steel weapons at a very high price to outsiders, especially the Westerosi who were crazy about them. 

"I remember the story of how one of my ancestors sold a valyrian steel sword to some lion king for an enormous amount of gold and gems. So much for just a sword, quite amusing, truly.", he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Daenerys giggled for a moment, too or was he imagining things.

"Valyria's secrets gone?! You do know that our people did more than just ride dragons and make good steel, right?", not all was lost and all of it could be recovered.

"Come with me", I said after getting back on my feet. I led her to the Dragonvault, where she found me.

"What are we doing back here, will we try to hatch that egg on the pedestal?", she asked in apparent curiosity.

"That, and a lot more. Let me show you something." I said and then we walked to the great door inside. I cast a spell to unseal it and, when it opened, I lit the torches inside and we both saw it. 

"The former chamber is about one fifth of the Dragonvault. This is the true treasure. Behold Daenerys Targaryen, the secret legacy of our people."

There it was. This place was like a treasury. There was enough Valyrian steel weapons to equip an army and the secret to forging more. There were also many artifact of our people's making. And of course the most valuable items here - dragons eggs. She kept her stare at them.

"How many eggs are here?"

"Difficult to say. Back when this place was created each dragonlord family contributed at least 4 eggs each. By the looks of it there are at least a hundred. Give or take."

"How do we hatch them?

"To hatch a dragon egg, all you need is dragon fire, but these eggs have turned to stone from age. Not that it is much of a problem, all you need is a sacrifice. What do you say? You and I! Will you help me revive Valyria?"

"Yes, I will!". There was a strength and resolve in her eyes. She is just as I though she would be. I still do not know her whole story but she will share when she is ready. Until then - work to do!

The dragon race and the glory of Valyria shall be restored!

We will **not** be the last valyrians!

I swear it!

* * *

**Winterfell, Kingdom of the North**

Sansa Stark, Queen in the North and Lady of Winterfell.

Father always said she will be queen one day, though I am certain he didn't think it will be like that.

After Jon had told her the secret of his parentage, she had made a plan. And it was simple - tell Tyrion. Her first husband wanted to put the best candidate possible on the Iron throne. Jon was that person. Her bastard brother who was in fact her cousin. She never cared for him when they were little though they grew a bit closer when they reunited at Castle Black. He was a noble man, good and strong. Charismatic, too even if he did not know it. For all that he was naïve though - all in all the perfect king for someone like Tyrion. When you had to pick between Jon and that foreign whore with her temper and her dragons, the safest option would, of course, be Jon. And with him as king, she could easily convince him to give the North its well deserved independence.

Things didn't progress just like that. Jon did kill Daenerys like she had prayed he would but then her brother Bran had been elected king. Jon was sent to the Wall and after her brother's decree recognizing the lands Beyond the Wall as a special protectorate of the Six Kingdoms, her cousin had become their official ruler. And she got her independence.

Arya got to travel west of Westeros. Maybe she is mad. I haven't heard of her since.

Not that it matters. I am queen.

"Is everything alright Your Grace?", asked Karra with her sweet voice. They were both laying naked in her bed, cuddling beneath the sheets of her bed in the royal bedroom.

"Yes, my love.", I replied as I kissed her on the lips. Karra was a sweet and pretty orphan girl her age. Her father had died in the War of the Five Kings and she was left all alone. They had befriended each other when she was Ramsay's wife. In secret, of course. That monster would have made her watch as he skinned the poor girl just for fun if he knew. A survivor, just like her. If Sansa had any love left in her heart then it was all for her and her son.

Yes, Sansa had given birth a month ago. She was a queen and needed an heir. For that purpose, she had married the third son of lord Blackwood, Hoster. A quiet young man, reminded her of Sam, her brother's friend, but he was fitter. Though, not much more charming. He was a bookworm but luckily Sansa needed her Prince Consort for only one purpose and he could do at least that. With some help from her, obviously. That's all men were good for, that and to follow her orders to the letter. She wouldn't be owned by any man. Maybe that is why she loved Karra, a girl. Now she was in control, whether in the throne room or in the bedroom. Always in control.

And now she had a son - Prince Eddard Stark. A healthy boy. Her husband had fulfilled his duties. Maybe she should kill him. No, she might need more heirs, just to be safe. Plus Hoster was no threat.

"No, you aren't. Thinking, always thinking. Well I will get your attention then.", she giggled as she slid her head beneath the sheets and starting kissing her skin down to her nether regions. 

"Ohh, Karra. Stop, now. I have work to do, you know.", reluctantly she stopped.

After dressing up and putting on her symbol of power, her crown, she left her chambers first. Even though most people at Winterfell knew about her and Karra, she preferred to be cautious in order to protect her dignity.

Even her husband knew though, she had made his role explicitly clear during the wedding night. And he didn't even protest, the weakling that he is. Not that it mattered.

Still they had to keep up appearances in front of the other northerners outside her walls and the Six Kingdoms. Luckily, he was smart enough to understand that.

Now to affairs of state.

First of all, apparently after the Long Night the Winter magically ended and Spring began.

The longest winter turned into the shortest one, though also the harshest.

That meant they had to plant all the crops as fast as possible. And they lacked the manpower for that.

The North had suffered the most casualties in the recent wars.

Still the ones who are left will simply have to do their best.

Secondly, she had to establish trade agreements with the rest of Westeros.

Thanks to Jon, she had good trade with the wildlings but they couldn't offer much. She needed an alliance with the Six Kingdoms proper.

She had allies in the Riverlands in the face of the Blackwoods and their allies.

There was a brief conflict over the abandoned Twins but it was easily resolved thanks to her. She had arranged the marriage between lord Glover's daughter and lord Vance's youngest son. They would rule together with both sides' blessing and in return she would have lower tariffs for passage through the Twins for northerners. A great success of diplomacy on her part.

Her uncle wasn't all too happy of being left out of the whole process, but he was stupid so it was for the best.

Now, she needed an alliance elsewhere. Maybe the Reach. There should be many lords there willing to betroth a daughter to her son and make that child a queen one day.

And finally, she had to rebuild Winterfell. That would be hard. She lacked resources and didn't have much coin. 

She reached the great hall and sat on her throne. The throne she had earned. 

"Forgive me, your Grace, but there is an urgent message from House Flint.", said master Wolkan. 

"Give it to me."

It was a box. Inside it was the head of lord Flint. And a letter with the Greyjoy sigil:

**We do not sow! But you did. **  
** I recognize only one other queen and her name was Daenerys Targaryen.**  
** Your wretched family caused her death and now the time has come for**  
** you to pay the iron price for that. The iron fleet has been rebuilt and**  
** your shores will be ours. Your men will be our thralls, your women -**  
** our salt wives and whores. You, Queen of Winter, will be my personal plaything.**  
** All you have will be mine!**  
** Signed: Yara of House Greyjoy, The First of My Name since the Grey King, Queen of the Iron Islands, Lady Reaper of Pike, Daughter of the Sea Wind, Queen of Salt and Rock.**

"Oh, no...." For the first time in months queen Sansa Stark was feeling something she thought she would never feel again:

**FEAR.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well what do you think? Please comment. It will be appreciated.  
I wanted to give Sansa some happiness before starting with her punishments. Plural. I also wanted her to act more like Cersei 2.0.  
It will be a while before Dany and Aurion meet their "friends" across the Narrow sea.  
Next: the situation in King's Landing and Volantis.


	4. Tyrion I | Daenerys II

**King's Landing, Six Kingdoms, Westeros**

It's been a little over a year now since the Last War. Yes, the Maesters of the Citadel were arrogant enough to call it that. And yet it wasn't. Not even in Westeros.

A few days ago Tyrion had received a letter asking for help from the Queen in the North. Apparently, she had received the head of one of her lords and a declaration of war from Yara Greyjoy.

The Iron Islands were never really under the control of the Iron Throne. After the Great Council, Yara became queen of the Ironborn in name and title under the suzerainty of King Bran. Needless to say, that was done in order to pacify her after they had refused to execute Jon Snow. And needless to say the "suzerainty" was in name only.

He had sent her a letter asking to not attack the North and quite predictably her reply, which he just finished reading, all in all said "fuck off". 

That was predictable and, in all honesty, he couldn't chide her. The Kingdom of the Iron Islands, while de jure part of the Six Kingdoms, was de facto independent. The Kingdom of the North is officially independent and what happens there is not really his concern. Moreover, he didn't want to antagonize the Ironborn. They are a troublesome ally at best and a fearsome and tricky opponent at worst. If they wanted to attack the North, why stop them? What happens to other countries is no concern of his.

His kingdoms were the ones he were concerned about. And they weren't all that good either:

\- The Riverlands are still recovering from the War of the Five Kings. Strangely enough the weather was turning better. After the Night King's defeat, for some reason winter ended with him. That was very good. Crops could be replanted and with some luck they could avoid famine.

\- The Stormlands are recovering faster. Maybe because they were practically untouched by war after the Battle of the Blackwater. And that boy Gendry, rather Lord Gendry Baratheon Lord of Storm's End, Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, Warden of the South, was doing quite well in ruling. The maester of that castle must be quite a good teacher. He gave him the last of his titles for two reasons. First to bind him to himself. Daenerys had made him lord of Storm End and he wanted to ensure his compliance. That seemed to be working just fine. And secondly, even a former bastard was more responsible than Bronn.

\- The Reach was simply the worst. With the demise of the Tyrells, they needed a new lord of Highgarden. And that is Bronn. He should have given him some other castle. Plenty of those around and ownerless. He just had to give him the capital of the Reach. He was pressured back then. Still, that was a problem. Some minor lordlings aside, most of the high lords of the Reach did not obey him at all. Some even did so openly and chief amongst them are the HIghtowers. Not a surprise. After all, as things stand nowadays, House Hightower is the wealthiest family in Westeros. And the most influential one in the Reach. Most likely plotting to overthrow Bronn. What am I to do about that? Bronn was a terrible ally but an ally all the same. And the HIghtowers? Would they swear allegiance to Bran the Broken or will they declare independence as well? He couldn't fight the might of all the Reach. And Bronn had no hope of winning against them in an open conflict. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

\- The Westerlands, his region. They were exhausted after the wars. The lords didn't like him, held him responsible for the deaths of Tywin, Jaime and Cersei. He was responsible for only the first and yet they did. Yet for some reason they were still the easiest region to administer.

\- Dorne was a bit of a mystery. After the Sand Snakes were killed by Euron and Cersei and lost power there, a cousin of the Martells, ser Manfrey Martell had taken over. Apparently, he was the castellan of Sunspear before the Snakes had taken over and they had had him imprisoned during their rule. A charismatic man with a wife and a daughter. Well, at least the future of Dorne was secured. A friend or foe though, Tyrion didn't know. Still, as long as they are peaceful, he wouldn't kick the hornet's nest.

\- The Vale is still ruled by lord Robin Arryn, who apparently is still under the influence of lord Royce. To keep them away from their former Stark allies, Tyrion had made Yohn Royce master of war. As things were going, he might need one soon enough.

Well, it could be worse, much worse. 

"My Lord Hand", addressed him ser Podrick Payne of the Kingsguard, who had entered his office without Tyrion noticing at all. He is getting better at this. "The king wants to see you."

The King. Bran I the Broken, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Six Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm was waiting for him in the Red Keep's Godswood.

Tyrion's first order of business as hand had been to rebuild the city. It was a slow and difficult process. They had to take a loan from the Iron Bank again. A much larger one than before. I still don't think we will be able to pay it back in time but they will have to wait. He hopes they will, at least. The Red Keep was rebuilt along with about a quarter of the city. Most of the people still live in the ruins. They didn't have anywhere else to go. About a third of the city's population was killed in the flames but the situation was still difficult. The builders better work faster. Still it is spring now, weather is getting warmer and in a few years the city will be back as it once was. A city bursting with ungrateful people and stinking of shit from miles away. They were ungrateful already. The stench and the city was all he needed to take care of now.  
Tyrion had arrived before the king:

"You wanted to see me Your Grace."

"Yes, I want to share my troubles with you. It may concern all of us." Troubles. Oh, no. Please Your Grace, I have plenty of those already. Unfortunately, he couldn't say that.

"What troubles you, my King?"

"For some reason I have trouble looking across the sea. I still can, but there are some shadows there, that I can't see through."

"Shadows? What do you mean?"

"The first time it was while I was keeping an eye on Drogon. He was in Volantis when suddenly I received a powerful headache." Tyrion still remembers that. It was just a few weeks after his coronation. The king was in bed for about a fortnight. There were even rumors that they would need a new one.

"Well when I got better, I tried again but then....", he trailed off for a second. Was that uncertainty? "His presence was overshadowed by something old, something darker, stronger, more powerful than anything I have ever experienced. It is like a great shadow has been cast over that person. It pushed me away. It blocks my vision and it has been growing recently. I can barely see beyond the sea now. Braavos is in the clear, for now. Lorath, too. But I am worried!"

So am I. The man who has looked the Night King in the eyes was saying something scarier was out there. Still they haven't received any news about monsters in the Free cities, apart from the occasional sightings of Drogon, of course.

"I want you to sent spies there. I need to know what is going on! I need to know the threat we face!"

"Yes, your Grace." I must admit I am somewhat proud of him. He knows about his sister's perils. He should at least. And yet he is worried about the bigger threat instead.

I will do as he asked.

Whatever that is, I hope it doesn't want to come here.

* * *

**Volantis, Across the Narrow Sea**

It has been a few days since we left Valyria. We took only a few things with us. A beautiful blood red dragon egg, a few valyrian steel weapons, two glass candles and some valyrian scrolls. We couldn't really carry too much, even on Drogon. During their journey back to Volantis she got to learn a lot about Aurion. Apparently he had been studying magic since he was very young, inspired and worried by the prophesy, and didn't ride on his dragon much, which explains his inexperience.  
That had its uses.  
He was so cute when he occasionally grasped at her more strongly when he felt he would fall off. She shouldn't mock him though, Daenerys remembers just how scared she was when she first climbed on Drogon. Still, a dragonlord who cannot ride a dragon. She chuckled as they flew towards the city.

"Oi, stop that. I am the mightiest sorcerer Valyria has ever produced. And I am not afraid of heights!", even without turning around, she was certain that he was blushing.

"All evidence to the contrary. Still I can't do magic. But you can. What are those candles though?"

"Glass candles. Made from obsidian. They allow us to communicate from great distances."

"That sounds very useful. Can you teach me how to use them?"

"Of course. It isn't so difficult. It's basic stuff, really. They only have one special requirement.  
At least one of the two people who are trying to communicate must be adept at magic.  
Either the magic user can use a candle to establish a link with the owner of another or for the owner of a candle to try to connect with a magic user who also owns one", he explained.  
"As you can imagine, the latter is more difficult, but you can learn. I can feel your strength. From what you have told me about your immunity to getting hurt from fire, you surely have great potential."

"Thanks." Now it was her turn to blush. Oh, thank the Gods. We are here. 

They could see Volantis. It was beautiful during the night. So many buildings. The biggest ones were inside the black walls. There was also the Great bridge. But we were heading somewhere else. To the Red temple of Volantis. That monstrously big structure all in red. It was like it was glowing as if on fire. When they landed in front of it, Drogon flew off.

They were then greeted by Kinvara.

"Valar Morghulis, my queen and...", she trailed off, a look of surprise in her eyes, seeing Aurion. They must have been the first people to see the high priestess surprised. "So it really is you. I am surprised. You never were a supporter of the Lord."

"I myself never believed in any power other than mine own.", he calmly said. "Hello, Kinerys, it has been awhile. Last time I saw you, you had just joined in with the red priests. From a slave, to a freedwoman, my prize pupil, and back to being a slave. A slave to R'hllor."

"It is Kinvara now, dragonlord Aurion. High Priestess of the Lord of Light. He showed me the truth, that is why I left. To follow the true path."

"Don't be like that. You wouldn't have become all that, if you hadn't been my brightest pupil."

"You taught her magic?", Daenerys could contain her curiosity no longer.

"Yes, though the resurrection spells and other spells of such high complexity require massive rituals. Many people to combine their power into one in order to succeed. Not my forte, I must admit. That is all her god's power."

"So you admit his existence then?"

"I never said I didn't. Too many gods to care which are real and which are fiction.", a look of irritation on her face, Kinvara was about to say something until...

"Surrender in the name of the Triarchs!", a group of city guards had surrounded them out of nowhere. "You are all under arrest for conspiracy against the city!"

Everyone reacted differently.

Daenerys was a bit worried. She hoped her child would return soon to help her. There were dozens of them.  
Kinvara was indifferent. As usual.  
And Aurion, well, Aurion was very annoyed.

"How dare you interrupt us, you inferior creatures? You have some nerve, I must admit, for doing that."

"Silence! You will be arrested as well. Surrender!", their commander, one of the triarchs, was still barking orders unaware of what would happen next. Daenerys wasn't entirely certain either but she could imagine.

Aurion stood silent for a while. No, not silent. Focused. Concentrating, on them. The pressure he was emitting was overwhelming. Some of them were visibly shaking. Even she was slightly nervous and she knew he was on her side.

"Lesser men defy the dragonlords of Old Valyria at their peril.", said Kinvara in a matter of fact tone.

The tiger guards' noses started the bleed. Then from their mouths and their ears and eyes all started to bleed. The air was filled with their screams before they all dropped dead.

All but the commander. He wanted to run. It was obvious, but he couldn't. Aurion's intimidating aura had frozen him in place. Now he understood. A fraction of the fury of the true dragonlords.

"Please, I am sorry, I am a Triarch, my name..."

"Silence!", he hissed at him. "I don't care for your name but as to your apology, well there is something."

"Anything, please."

He smiled in satisfaction, looking from above at the kneeling, sobbing man. Kinvara gave a wry smile too, predicting what that apology will be. Dany learned as well when he opened his bag and revealed the dragon egg.

"Your sacrifice will be your apology!"

Kinvara's priests build a pyre and tied the triarch to it. Aurion put the egg at the base of the pyre and started chanting. She figured it was less a spell and more of a prayer. For the dragon.

And it worked.

Amidst the screams they heard a cracking.

A dragon egg's shell cracking.

The man was dead and Aurion reached into the fire and hands unhurt he took something from the flames and showed it to her.

It was beautiful, the dragon was blood red in color as if made from fire. Chirring at them. The adorable little thing climbed on Aurion's shoulder. His previous anger vanished. One couldn't think he had just burned someone to death. There was a smile on his face. That of a new father. Just like she was after her sons were born. Suddenly, she heard Drogon roaring in the skies for the birth of the new dragon.

"His name will be Ruberion."

Soon enough, she would have to teach him how to ride a dragon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Bran's first headache was caused by Dany's resurrection. The shadow, he felt, will be explained next chapter, though I think you can guess who caused it.
> 
> Next chapter will be only about Dany and Aurion.
> 
> It and possibly the next one will be used to catch up with the timeline in Westeros and the conquest of the free cities. And, maybe, finally form the romance between the two valyrians.
> 
> Please Comment on your views in the comment section and give kudos; It will be appreciated!


	5. Daenerys III | Aurion II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for often editing the chapters. It's just that I find some detail needs fixing only after posting it. It's usually just a coma or some phrase or something. No great changes, really.

**Volantis**

After the birth of Ruberion, we decided to visit the two other triarchs. "To make them understand certain truths" is what Aurion said. Like how we are now in control of the cities. Dany didn't mind. In fact she wanted to have word with these men for quite a while now. They were involved in the Second siege of Meereen. And there were five slaves for every free person in the city. She intended to strike here right after she had taken the Iron Throne. Well, now is the time.

According to what Kinvara had told her, the man we burned was Malaquo Maegyr, one of the triarchs. Apparently the fool had intended to destroy the Red temple because of its great influence over the masses. Kinvara though had seen in the flames that this wouldn't have happened. She was right. 

Since the temple was right in the middle of the city, soon enough everybody learned what happened. Many slaves on both sides of the black walls had risen in revolt. Probably inspired by the screams of the triarch. 

They went past them pretty easily. The gates were opened by the rebellious slaves. And after the rumors of what we (or rather Aurion) did, there weren't many men stupid enough to stand in our way.

Aurion, Kinvara and I made our way to the Triarchy Palace - the largest and tallest building in the city, almost as tall as the black walls. The roof consisted of three domes of equal sizes. It was where the triarchs and all the other influential people in the city gathered to make their decisions. Usually guarded by at least 100 tiger guards, it was now under siege by the slaves who were swarming the long steps leading to the doors. When the slaves saw us approach, they immediately made a path for us and  
started chanting 

"Mhysa! Mhysa! Mhysa!" 

The guards behind the doors did not try to stop us at all when they saw Kinvara and immediately bowed.

Inside the Room of the Three Seats, as the triarchs' throne room was called, sat the three … now two rulers of the city. The middle seat was empty, apparently it was Malaquo's. The two men tried to compose themselves before trying to speak but Aurion spoke first:

"Greetings, peasants!", after that shocking greeting everyone else in the room had a surprised look on their faces. "Since there is no one to speak for me, I shall introduce myself. I am the dragonlord Aurion Balaerys and this beautiful woman beside me is Queen Daenerys Targaryen the Resurrected, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains and owner of other interesting titles. Oh, and that is Kinvara."

He sucks at introductions. But he... he said I am beautiful. It was a matter of fact so most people called her that only to flatter her so it was nice when someone said she was beautiful without any back thoughts. 

Ughh, now is not the time for this.

"How dare you call us that?! We are of the blood of Old Valyria any you sir are no dragonlord!", said the man on the right, obviously overlooking the little red dragon on Aurion's shoulder.

"Calm yourself, Nyessos!", said the other.

"But you are peasants. I mean your ancestors were no dragonlords, they were just a bunch of peasants, a military unit we, the real dragonlords, had sent here to make a camp. So you are descendants of simple soldiers, in order words, of peasants."

"And you are a real dragonlord?", asked the other triarch, Doniphos with more curiosity than amusement.

"I am the only survivor of the Doom. I was protected by a spell which had put me to sleep until awakened recently by Dany."

Dany?! She blushed again. When did I let you call me that?! Especially in front of enemies. That man may be nice but he has no sense of impropriety. 

"What is it you want?", asked Doniphos.

"The restoration of Valyrian dominance over Essos and the world, of course. I have the power and the knowledge to do just that", he said in a matter of fact tone.

"After all, the Valyrian civilization, albeit currently inactive, is still the most advanced the world has ever known. It is our duty to restore its prominence, being the last dragonlords. But you, and many like you are also of Valyrian stock, so you will be able to benefit greatly by it, provided you bend the knee to us.", she added and he smiled.

They were of the same mind.

"Can you really do th...?", asked Doniphos with clear interest before being interrupted by Nyessos:

"Nonsense! Begone from here. We will hear no more of this! Get that damn priestess and that whore of yours out of here!", he screamed frantically at all of us.

That last part was a mistake, the last mistake he will ever make. The reaction of Aurion that followed proved just that.

Aurion looked at him, with pure hatred in his eyes.

"There would be no mercy! Not for this!" 

He outstretched his hand at him and then...

Nyessos Vhassar burst into violent flames. The flames covered his body entirely and his screams echoed through the corridors for a few moments. And then:

There was no trace of the former triarch.

Naught but some ash and a black scorched spot on the floor.

"And then, there was one. So, what say you?", he asked the remaining triarch a rather unneeded question.

"Long live the king and the queen!", was Doniphos's meek and submissive reply.

"You are thinking too small. Why be a king and queen, when we can be emperor and empress?!"

* * *

**Volantis**

Kinvara and Doniphos left the room to pacify the people. Doors closed, they were left alone.

"So what do you think?", I asked her. 

No word, no such reaction. She just grabbed his face and kissed him.

His first kiss, so long, so ravishing, so passionate.

He though he was going to suffocate, when she left his mouth alone and said, still holding his face:

"I am sorry. I just wanted to do this for a while now and now we are alone and I just couldn't stop myself.", she said her face red.

"Oh, please. Don't be. I wanted to do so, too but I am not really good at this. At first steps. Actually I have never done anything like this before.", she stopped him by putting a finger to his mouth.

"Then do it now.", she started to undress herself. "It is time you learned how to ride a dragon!".

What does that have to do with any of this?

He didn't have much time to figure out the metaphor as she literally pushed him down on the ground, striped him lightning fast and began riding his already hard member.

So that's what she meant.

"Oh, by the gods", he couldn't help himself from muttering something so cliché as he finished inside of her after, what could have been an eternity, passed 'riding the dragon'.

Not that he cared about that. He had cast a spell to lock the doors and ensure they wouldn't be heard just after she had tossed him on the floor. They were both lying on the floor now in each other's arms, both stark naked and drenched in sweat.

"I have never been so happy to be so exhausted in my life."

"Well, I am glad you feel like I do. I have been in love three times now, the last one was my death."

"The false dragon?!". That dishonorable piece of garbage that had hurt her, killed her. Aurion already had some ideas about how to punish him for that. Death is a mercy he shall not grant him.

"Well, after I came back, I was afraid to fall for anyone else. For obvious reasons.", she added.

"But now, with you I feel like a huge stone has been lifted. I feel like I am finally truly free, free to be who I want to be with whom I want to be. Together you and I can make the world in our own image!"

"Indeed, we can. I love you, Dany!"

"I love you too, my dragon!"

Well that certainly was the best night ever! The first of many! Now, though we better get dressed. It's not like we are at home or anything.

Just after they had dressed and fixed their hairstyles, he felt it.

A cold glare, an unnatural one was trying to spy on him from far away. 

"What is that? I feel a presence, faint but real, trying to spy on us?

"It must be Bran Stark, he is something called the Three-Eyed-Raven."

"A greenseer. Oh, well now that is just rude. Is he some sort of a pervert?"

"Don't joke. According to Kinvara, in my absence, he has been declared king with Tyrion Lannister as hand. I am not ready for all my enemies to know I live. Not yet."

"Don't worry my love." Yes, Aurion now had someone to address like this. It felt so good. "Take my hand."

He started chanting a powerful concealing spell. It worked a bit like a plague. It cast a shadow over not just him but also over her. That shadow would spread over every place they visit from now on. It would cause everyone looking for them or at those places to see only darkness and shadow.  
Moreover it would weaken any seer who tried to pierce through it. If one was foolish enough to keep trying, they would lose their abilities forever.  
It was maintained by a mark that would appear on both their bodies. His personal mark - an ouroboros, a wingless dragon biting its tail going in circle.

"It is done. That fool will not be able to spy on us anymore."

She kissed him on the lips again. "Now shall we go introduce ourselves to the people of this city, the first dominion of the New Valyrian Empire?!"

"Yes", and so they went outside. Greeted by the crowds of former slaves and citizens of their city. 

And so they looked down upon their new subject and at their city. 

This is just the beginning.

The start of:

**The Era of the Dragon!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think? Please comment on your views in the comment section and leave kudos.
> 
> I wanted to make the long anticipated moment between Dany and Aurion not just passionate but also a bit funny so share your views if I got it right.
> 
> Also what are the thought on my shadow trap for Bran?
> 
> Next comes the interlude which will present what happens in the year that leads up to catching up to events in Westeros. It will be through the eyes of a new original character.


	6. Interlude: Gaemon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. Two chapters in one day. Am I not golden?  
Truth is I might not be able to write one on Saturday,  
so here is the Interlude  
It is a bit long but I wanted it all in one chapter enjoy!

**Imperial city of Lys, New Valyrian Empire**

His name is Gaemon. Gaemon Venerys. For the last 5 years though that name had been used rarely. He was born here, in Lys, the son of the wealthy merchant prince named Talarys Venerys.

He was a handsome man, pronounced valyrian features like most Lysene, long silver hair, light purple eyes, pleasing physique. He was also a smart and learned young man. Promising. Would have inherited his father's business.

Well, that did not happen. Instead his father had died at sea and his father's so called friends had stolen his properties and sold his son to a pillow house. Well, it's not too bad a life. Could have been sold to the mines or outright killed. In the pillow house he had learned how to seduce both men and women.

His teachers were rarely kind though. Didn't hit him too hard so as not to 'break the merchandise'.

His clients were occasionally bearable.

One night, his father's 'friends' had visited Gaemon, to see how he was doing with his lessons. Safe to say, that was his worst ever experience.

So how am I here, in the guest chamber within the Palace of the Magisters of Lys where even his father hasn't set foot before, being the first servant of the most powerful man in the world?

Well it all started almost a year ago. There were rumors of something big going on in Volantis. Stories of dragons and dragonlords. Too many to dismiss. And then, one day, they came. Volantis, without warning, had besieged Lys. Before they could muster a response, a large, very large, black dragon had landed in front of the city gates. Everyone was either on the main street, like Gaemon, or like the magisters on the city walls. 

He couldn't really make out what was going on the other side of the walls until he saw the gate burning. The dragon had burned down the gate and large parts of the walls.

The enemy soldiers entered the city.

The female dragonrider addressed while flying overhead:

"To the rulers of the city, make yourselves presentable and come to talk with us. We shall await you in the Palace of the Magisters. No foul tricks and do not make us wait!"

They were acting as if they were owners of the city. Well, maybe they were.

It took, what seemed like an eternity for the magisters to make a decision.

He couldn't quite make out what they were saying but he heard everything from "Let's fight to the death" to "Let's surrender at once".

Well, in the end, the magisters did what they always do when faced with a mighty enemy - they try to bribe them.

They gathered 100 of the prettiest boys and girls from the pillow houses. Gaemon amongst them. The magisters brought us as well as so much gold from the treasury and took us to the Palace. 

There they were - inside the Meeting hall of the Magisters.

The most beautiful people he had seen. 

They were both slender, with silver hair and purple eyes. The man's were deeper purple than the woman. Both appeared regal, almost like gods.

The man was wearing an armor slender and beautiful with the unmistakable shine of Valyrian steel. His hair was short, his deep purple eyes - filled with pride.

The woman wore an armor only on the chest area, also made of Valyrian steel. The rest of her outfit was made of black myrish silk and a red cloak with a dragon scale motif. 

Both of their armors bore the same symbol - a red three-headed dragon surrounded by a silver ouroboros on a black field.

Who were these people? He would have found out soon enough.

One of the magisters stepped forward:

"Greetings my name is Vinessos Caryzes, one of the magisters of our great citiy and these are our finest …"

The woman interrupted him.

"Slaves."

"Yes, our most prized ones, a gift to you."

"Why are they doing this? I mean, we are taking over this city, so if we wanted them, we could have simply taken them, no?", the man asked the woman a somewhat obvious question. 

Indeed for someone unaccustomed to the way most of the free cities chose to defend themselves, this would indeed be strange. After all, their soldiers were already inside, so what was the point of all this? Surely some of the magisters, who were even now looking at each other with concern, knew that?

"You will have to forgive them, my love. It is the custom in the free cities to at least try to bribe the enemy you cannot defeat, or even fight against." 

Just so.

"Well, I am afraid there has been a misunderstanding then.", spoke the man again. "We are here to begin the rebuilding of the Valyrian empire not to trade in slaves."

"This city is to be our second conquest. After Volantis." the woman added.

"Oh, but where are our manners, we haven't even introduced ourselves, yet. Even though you lot should be able to guess who I am for those of you who can't - I am Daenerys the Resurrected of House Targaryen Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons and this is the dragonlord Aurion of House Balaerys."

"I would never get used to this House thing.", the man, Aurion, mumbled.

"You will, eventually.", added the woman, Daenerys.

"So anyways," started Aurion "as she said, we came here, in your palace, to congratulate you on joining our empire". 

One of the magisters was about to say something but was cut off by Daenerys: "Before you say something you will immediately regret, let's make it clear. If you all obey us, you would still prosper, under our reign. However, you will have to free all of your slaves. Those of them who still want to work for you will do so only as free men and women, not as property to be bought or sold."

"This is disgraceful. We will not change our lifestyle just to sate you. What if we refuse?", exclaimed one of the ministers.

"Then this will happen.", said to him Aurion. His hand started to take the form of a fist as the magister started to choke. Clawing at his neck, desperately trying to breath, died the proud and evidently foolish magister. Coincidentally, that man was one of his father's 'friends'. The one who sold him, Jenerro Krazys. 

"Prosperity under our rule or death? **Choose now!**", said Daenerys. 

All their will to resist having vanished alongside their comrade, the magisters knelt as one. We, the now former slaves, too.

Then something unexpected happened. Aurion approached him. 

"You, rise.", Gaemon obeyed.

"What is your name?"

"Gaemon. Gaemon Venerys, your worship.", he answered not quite understanding what was going on.

"You have talent. I can see it in your eyes. You have potential."

"Well, yes.", he answered confused. "I was once born in a wealthy family and was educated well before being enslaved."

"Oh, good but I was speaking of another talent, yet untapped. Not involving your private parts.". What was he talking about?

"Say, do you want to be my assistant, adjutant, right hand, call it whatever. I could teach you about real power. The one that doesn't vanish at the first sign of trouble", he said looking at the kneeling men.

"Yes", a simple answer but the man was pleased. And soon enough, I would realize just what talent he was speaking of.

Before I knew it I was dressed in finery and fine clothes. His master had told him his story, being the only surviving dragonlord from Valyria and told him also that he felt a talent for magic inside Gaemon. In the coming months, Gaemon was starting to slowly understand it, too. To this day, he couldn't do much. He could only use glass candles and let his master channel his energy to fuel his spells, just like the mistress can do the same for him.

After consolidating their hold over the city and ensuring the compliance of the magisters, they headed for the other cities:

\- Myr and Tyrosh were first. They had allied with each other and gathered an army against the master and the mistress made from 10000 men from the cities and 10000 mercenaries. 20000 men in total. Our forces consisted of about 20000 men also but we had a dragon. By the way, fighting against a dragon on an open dry field in the heat is quite the stupid idea as Tyrosh and Myr soon discovered when half their forces burned to death and the rest surrendered. The 4000 surviving sellswords were taken captive.

"We will have great use of them.", that's how master Aurion had explained it. He didn't question it, not then anyways.

Pentos, despite being a de facto vassal of Braavos, surrendered immediately. Maybe convinced by magister Illyrio Mopatis, who apparently was a friend of her Grace.

Norvos and Qohor didn't put up a fight either when 5 of the 9 free cities were already taken. 

And so here we are in Lys, again. For some reason, his masters didn't want to go directly to Lorath and Braavos so they send a message to both to send ambassadors to Lys. And they did. You don't refuse such people.

Both cities were represented by:

\- Tormo Fregar - the newly elected Sealord of Braavos

\- Tycho Nestoris - representing the Iron Bank of Braavos

\- Vardo Kassar - a Lorathi magister

It was Gaemon's turn to speak, to introduce his masters:

"You stand in the presence of the Great Dragonlord Aurion of House Balaerys, the First of his Name, Emperor of the New Valyrian Empire, Lord of all along the Rhoyne, Protector of the Free cities and Defender of the Faiths

and of

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, The First of her Name, Empress of the New Valyrian Empire, Lady Regnant of all along the Rhoyne, Protector of the Free cites, Defender of the Faith, Rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons."

He sat. Phew, finally, they had too many titles, especially Her Grace. Thank the Heavens that I am the personal first servant of the master only, the empress has a handmaiden but she wasn't here. That one, Aenea, was busy. Just last week the empress gave birth to her and his master's heirs - twins - the Prince Rhaegar and the Princess Rhaenyra. Aenea used to be a pillow slave, a beautiful orphan who was taken in by the mistress, following master's example. Aenea was also his closest friend and lover. She and Gaemon were the only others in the inner circle of the Imperial family apart from Grey Worm, the Unsullied commander who had returned to serve them, after they took Lys, along with 4000 Unsullied soldiers.

Anyways, the negotiations went rather well. Lorath needed economic support which the Empire would provide. Braavos, after 3 hours of weighting the benefits of joining with the new power in Essos and being convinced that they would retain a degree of autonomy, joined as well with the blessing of the Bank.

"The Iron Bank of Braavos shall become the chief banking institution in the empire, I am certain that would please you, no?", asked the empress.

Indeed it did, it seems.

"However in regards to our Westerosi matters, we would require that Braavos joining us, remained a secret for the time being.", the strange demand was easily accepted. 

And so it was completed - in the span of one year western Essos all the way to Dragon's bay was united the banner of the New Valyria.

After that came the wedding. Yes, the emperor and the empress weren't married, yet. Now they were. At the altar, their hands united in a ceremony led by Kinvara, the High Priestess of Volantis, they were pronounced husband and wife. At least they wouldn't have to say those two titles all the time when he announced them.

He was holding hands with Aenea when he heard the emperor whisper something to his new bride:

"Are you ready, there will be no turning back now? If that little king hasn't gone blind by now, he will be able to see us."

"Yes, my love. In that case they might just fall into our other trap. Now it is time we announced to our enemies: **The Return of the Dragons!"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well what do you think, of the titles and everything, please comment whether you liked it  
Next time Westeros learns who's back and plots a course for their future.


	7. Aurion III | Tyrion II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I promised a chapter about Westeros reeling from the news but before that - Valyria's restoration. An empire needs a capital

**Valyrian Peninsula, Essos**

The wedding was nice. Not too many people. Kinerys, or Kinvara rather, had agreed to officiate the ceremony. Aurion was glad she did. They had their misgivings but she was the only person who he knew from before the Doom to still live.

The bride was beautiful in her blindingly white dress. Not that she needed that to be beautiful.

The wedding night was especially...... eventful. Not to go into much detail, but neither of us slept much that night. I learned some things. Apparently, apart from being immune to fire, she also has endless stamina. I don't have that last one.

After all the celebrations were over, we went to Vaes Dothrak to meet the Dothraki. His wife had apparently led them. Another thing about which he admired her. That strength. The Dothraki were always annoying. Aurion knew them as barbarians living in the grasslands south of the Kingdom of Sarnor. They were however deadly fighters and sometimes, I thought we were the only ones between them and the rest of the world. I was right. From what Dany had told him, after the Doom, they had spread out sacking nearby cities and even destroying the Sarnori. All that devastation was levelled with their grasslands and now all that was called the Dothraki Sea.

Well, they seem to worship her. Not all, though.

There was this Khal Mokko. Apparently he wasn't too keen to bow to her again. After the War against that army of the dead his wife had told him about, their numbers had dwindled.

There were about 20000 of them now. That Mokko led about 12000 of them in defiance of us. Foolish.

Sure we hadn't brought with us more than 6000 retainers, but we had two dragon. By that time Ruberion had grown large enough for me to ride him into battle. Needles to say the battle was brief. 2000 died in flames, the rest captured.

We also visited Meereen. It was ruled once by Daenerys, when she was on a campaign to end slavery there, but she had left a sellsword named Daario Naharis in charge after leaving for Westeros.  
He had betrayed her. Sided with the former masters, giving them their power back in exchange for a crown. He and his co-conspirators were also arrested. They didn't, and couldn't, put up much of a resistance. Ghiscari slavers weren't much of a force to be reckoned with these days. 

"Why do you want them alive?", she had asked him.

"We need them for the ritual."

"What ritual?"

"To restore Valyria."

They took all of their captives to the ruins of Valyria. About 15000 men. Should be enough. He hoped. With them were also several red priests, including Kinvara, as well as representatives of all the people they ruled now. To bear witness.

"Are you mad? No one has ever even attempted a spell of that magnitude before!", the voice of reason, surprisingly Kinvara.

"Then I will be the first. Look, we have 15000 sacrifices, plus a dozen red priests, you, Dany and Gaemon for me to channel. I think it will work."

"Think isn't enough. You do understand that if you fail it could kill you, right?"

"Is this true?", and Dany. Those two had become friends. Now I am outnumbered. 

"Trust me. I know what I am doing. Alright?"

After what seemed like forever we started preparing. We had tied all the sacrifices to the largest pyre in history. Dany had some misgivings about all this and so did he, but it was necessary for the spell. Plus the lives of common sellswords and Dothraki weren't worth much to him.

We took Dany's dragon and flew high enough to see the whole city. I stood up on the back of Drogon and then I started chanting In High Valyrian:

**"Oh, Gods of Valyria, hear my prayer.**  
**Accept these sacrifices and fulfill my desires.**  
** From destruction bring forth creation, restoration and prosperity.**  
** The homeland has been destroyed, restore it.**  
** The buildings, work of art, to some long lost, restore them.**  
**The roads which have been left devastated and haunted, restore them. **  
**The lifeforce of the land which has been corrupted and twisted, heal it.**  
** From the ashes, may it rise again, strong and proud.**  
** The land that was promised, restore it.**  
** May it become our home again.**  
** Oh, Gods Almighty, you who have as many shapes as there are winds and as many names as there are ways to die, accept my sacrifice - RESTORE VALYRIA"**

It worked. The sacrifices burned. Almost no screams, they were completely engulfed by the flames within minutes in a fiery spiral that reached the skies.

And it was incredible.

The poisonous mists were clearing themselves out. The clear sky could be seen again.

The Smoking sea was no longer smoking. Life was returning to the waters.

The most exciting thing was the buildings. They truly were restoring themselves, the fallen debris taking back their former shapes of broken towers and walls and going back where they were 500 years ago.

The dirt and moss from the roads and buildings also vanished in thin air.

**He had succeeded. **

And he suddenly started to feel tired. That was expected. After all, such a powerful spell was bound to tire him out. Even though he was channeling so many people, he was still the one casting it.

"Dany, take me away. I am feeling wasted. I need to sleep."

"Alright, hold on." And so he slept for two days and stayed in bed for two weeks more. But he had done it. 

**Valyria is back and the world will never be the same.**

* * *

**King's Landing, The Six Kingdoms, Westeros**

Tyrion's day was not going well. Things weren't progressing as he would have hoped. The repairs of the city weren't going as well as he wanted. There was also an outbreak of disease among the workers, so currently nothing was being done on that note.

The new Royal fleet was nonexistent as well. The master of ships, ser Davos, couldn't build a new one without money. And Bronn being Bronn, had ditched the job after he had found it too difficult for him and returned to Highgarden. To his new bride. Clementine Redwyne. A pretty woman, naturally. I pity her for marrying Bronn. Alas I don't have time for pity.

And now the king was urgently summoning him. That was happening often as of late, asking after the spies we sent east. The king's greensight had become difficult to use after trying a few times to see into Essos, so he decided to stop, so as not to damage his abilities further. Well, now the boys had returned with information, they were about to give them all, at the small council.

At the small council chamber were gathered himself, king Bran, ser Davos, ser Brienne and lord Royce. 

"Come on lads. Tell us all what you have seen.", asked ser Davos

"The Free cities are being united. All but Braavos and Lorath have joined their empire."

"Them? Who are they?", asked Tyrion.

"The Dragon queen and her husband."

That was troubling. No, it was simply the worst thing that could have happened. A nightmare. She lives. And....her husband?

"What have you learned of that husband of hers? Who is he?" 

Suddenly, the boys had frozen in place. What was going on?

"What is that mark on your hands?", asked ser Brienne.

Soon we all noticed it. All three of them had it. A silver serpent biting its own tale. 

"An ouroboros?!", exclaimed the king.

Suddenly, all three of them spoke with the same voice. A voice not belonging to them, one Tyrion hadn't heard before.

"**Hello, there. You must be The Three-Eyed-Raven, King Bran the Broken. A name most fitting, I must admit."**, said the voice with a creepy smile on their faces.

"What the fuck is that?", ser Davos asked. An opinion no doubt shared by everyone present.

"To whom am I speaking? You must be that presence I have been feeling for a while now. Who are you?", asked the king.

**"My name is Aurion Balaerys. The man you were asking about. So..."**, the little spies looked at each of their faces, **"you are our enemies, then?!"**

"We are no enemies, not unless you make us such.", Tyrion answered. Whoever this was, however unlikely it was, he wanted to avoid a conflict with a being who could do something like that.

**"I am afraid that is not an option. You did murder my wife. Stole her throne. And that little pervert you call king was trying to spy on us."**

"She burned this city to the ground. Killed hundreds of thousands of innocents. She had to be put down.", ser Brienne retorted. 

**"By what right do you judge the dragon? By what right? You are nothing but inferior scum who are perfectly capable of doing the same thing given the opportunity."**

"Are you declaring war on us?", asked Tyrion.

**"No, not yet anyways. Still, we will see, I suppose. We still have Braavos and Lorath to take before we decide to turn our eyes on the east....or west.  
You see, we would rather leave you lot to rip each other's throats out like the pathetic animals you are. Would be funnier."**

**"**How are you doing this? Just how powerful are you?", asked Bran.

"**Oh, I can do a lot more than that. I am more powerful than anything you can imagine. You will learn, if you are not careful.  
****If you want to stay alive though, I suggest you stay out of Essos or this will be a fate you would prefer!", **said he and then... the young spies he was just possessing took a knife from beneath their clothes and slit their own throats and fell to the ground.

So she is truly back then. Daenerys Targaryen. And she is not alone. The realm mustn't know. It could throw us in a civil war. Again.

"We need to do something about this. Before they decide to pay us a visit. We need to prepare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, hope you enjoyed it. Comment on your views, it will be appreciated  
Next time we will see some more reactions to Daenerys being alive.


	8. Jon II | Baelor I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Here, a whole chapter with zero Dany. Or much fluff, either. Breaks my heart.  
Still Westerosi conspiracies and politics are kinda fun to write.  
Enjoy

**Hardhome, Lands Beyond the Wall, Westeros**

It had been a while since he heard those rumors.

That Daenerys lived again. He had heard also that most of the Free cities were united by her and her husband, both riding dragons. She was married, again.

Jon didn't know whether he should be happy for her or sad that she had forgotten him already.

After the Braavosi captain had told him of the rumors about her resurrection, every night Jon would look at the clouds, wondering if this would be the time for dragonfire to start raining down upon him.

He didn't want to die. Not anymore. He had Val now and since two moons past - a child. A boy. They wouldn't name him until he became 2 years old. Free folk tradition dictated that it is ill omen to name a child before that. Too many children died from cold before that.

Anyways, things were quiet here or as quiet as they could be. Apart from two men almost beating each other to death over a chicken bone last night, things were peaceful around here. Unlike the rest of Westeros. Now he had visitors in the form of Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the King, his brother Bran's hand, and his old friend Davos, the master of ships. He hadn't seen either of them since he established Hardhome as the permanent home for the wildlings. He had a pretty good idea why they were here, but still he had to ask, when they had finally sat at the table of his home, the largest house in the village:

"Greetings to you, old friends! What are you doing here?"

"Is it so unlikely for old friends to visit each other?", returned Tyrion with his usual sarcasm. 

"Given that neither of you has come here since our agreement was made, yes. I suppose you are here to talk about her return."

Tyrion looked at him with a pained face.

"I have been trying to keep it secret, but I guess it didn't work. Even you have learned. Oh well, I suppose just because I couldn't get traders from across the sea to return to the capital, that does not mean they would have abandoned Westeros completely."

"We need your help Jon.", added Davos.

"You mean, you need my help, again. With what exactly?"

"As you have learned, she has returned from the dead. She most certainly means to attack Westeros again. We need you to make her stop, once more.".

Has that man grown delusional? The only reason he had managed it last time was because she hadn't seen it coming. But there was another question he meant to ask.

"Why do you even think she would listen to me, or even let me get close to her for that matter? Surely you have heard the rumors of her being married, too."

"Not only that, we believe that man is even more dangerous than she is."

"What do you mean?"

"A while back, we sent spies over there to learn more of the rumors. When they finally returned we received a message from her husband. Apparently he is a powerful sorcerer. He had somehow possessed the spies and talked to us through them."

Impossible. And yet, who am I to use that word. 

"So..., what did he say?", curiosity had overtaken Jon.

"Well, all in all, he hates us all for murdering Daenerys and hinted at a future invasion of Westeros which is all too likely.", answered Tyrion. "We need to take measures to prevent that."

"How? Is that even possible? She has dragons, Tyrion. All of us here have seen what dragons do to armies." Ridiculous. That man actually wanted to start a war with her.

"She will strike soon enough, so we need a plan. We will go to Braavos and enlist their help. They are the only free city left, surrounded by her empire. They and Lorath but the Lorathi wouldn't be of much help. Surely they would agree to an alliance. I would go there personally, but I need to muster all the forces of Westeros against her. No point in trying to hide that she lives anymore. Maybe everyone knows by now anyways. We have Qyburn's scorpions too so it would not be as one sided a battle as you might think." 

No, just a slower death. But Jon too wanted to live. For his son, for Val, for all the people here.

"So, you want me to go there to negotiate with the Sealord of Braavos for an alliance?"

"Yes, him and the Iron Bank. Their resources would be crucial. You are a charismatic man Jon Snow. I need your help."

Dangerous. Possibly suicidal.  
Leaving for Braavos and leaving his family. It was quite possible that he may not return but he had to.  
At best he would get the help needed to defend his new home and his family. At worst, Jon would get closure.  
It was not a matter of choice. She would come here sooner or later anyway, looking for me.  
Might as well spare Val and our little boy the pain of watching me burn to death.  
He knew Daenerys. She was quite wrathful with those that betrayed her. And Jon had killed her. Fire was all she would offer him.  
The choice was made.

"I will go! Tell me more!"

"Well, while I am hoping you two could meet face to face and convince her to leave us alone, I realize that would be quite hard, so that is our last option. Firstly, I want you to go to Braavos and help forge an alliance. As I said I can't go there myself. Plus I owe them a great deal of money. Money I cannot return and they should suspect that by now. My word alone will not carry much weight but you with your charisma should be able to persuade them, I hope. Convince them of the dangers Daenerys poses to them. If Cersei could do that, then so can you. We will discuss what we do next, after your return. Good luck, Snow."

After that he bade the farewell and met with Val and Tormund.

"You will go where? Don't. I want you to live Jon Snow. Not to die on the other end of the world. Stay. Please!", she asked him, tears in her eyes.

"Do you think I would go if there was a choice. She will be looking for me anyways. I have to go. In the worst case, I wouldn't drag you all into it. If I die and she comes for you - bend the knee. She wouldn't kill you this way."

"We don't kneel, Jon Snow. Still, be a bit more positive, will ya? You haven't even left and you talk as if you are already dead.", said Tormund. 

"Look, I promise I do not intend to die there. I will not stay any longer than necessary."

"Don't worry Jon, I would take care of Val and the babe if you are to return as ash.", said Tormund, his friend. As far as friends go, Tormund was the only man that Jon trusted.

"Thank you Tormund. And don't cry for me until you are absolutely certain I am dead alright?!", he tried to crack a joke to calm Val. A failure and a success that was.

"As if I cry. You better return alive Jon Snow or I will kill you."

"Ha, ha. You better trust her Jon Snow. She looks serious to me.", they laughed for a while, seemingly forgetting the coming danger.

That night Jon and Val fucked like rabbits. Was this her plan to exhaust him so that he wouldn't be able to leave? Or did she think it would be their last time together?

Jon decided not to think about it. Just to enjoy the moment. It might truly be their last time.

* * *

**The Hightower, Oldtown, Westeros**

After his father's death last month, Baelor had become the new head of House Hightower. The new Lord of the HIghtower, Voice of Oldtown and Defender of the Citadel. That didn't mean he lacked experience however. Baelor, despite being a new lord, was nine-and-thirty. His father had lived for more than seven decades. Baelor has been de facto lord of the house for the last 10 years. His father had left it all to him for two reasons:

First he knew Baelor had been old enough and good enough for that duty.

And second - lord Leyton was a tired old man. Not that he was suffering from some disease like gout or something like that, he was just tired. His father had become lord when he was only 1 year old after his grandfather had died from injures during the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. 

But Baelor didn't mind, even back then. He liked the chance of getting some experience in ruling, given that he would have to rule on his own one day. And now he did.

Unlike most of Westeros, Oldtown was untouched by war. Still the same couldn't be said of the Reach. House Tyrell were gone. In their place, in their castle, in their power sat an up jumped sellsword named Bronn. Ser Bronn of the Blackwater to be precise. Not that most knights amounted to much more than simple killers these days. Now, the Lord-Commander of the Kingsguard was a woman - ser Brienne. Ridiculous, right. The first female knight in history. Still, she had more honor that most other knights Baelor knew, including his new liege. And everyone who knew her, despite all their japes about her looks, said no slight about her sword skills. At least she was a good swordsman....woman...swordswoman. 

Ughh, doesn't matter.

The king followed the old gods and that didn't stand well with the Faith. So many septons came to him with complaints. "As if I can do something about the king's faith." Not that he cared about or liked the new king.

Or any of his councilors. 

Baelor had long made his mind up about not helping them with anything. His focus was Oldtown and...……….Highgarden. He had ambitions about becoming the new lord of the Reach and replacing that arse in Highgarden. 

He had reasons to believe it was possible:

First - Lord Bronn was supported only by a few houses in the region. Mostly minor ones with little power. Open battle wouldn't be difficult.

Second - The rest of the Reach would support him. They didn't like Bronn either and he had private conversations with the rulers of houses like Rowan, Caswell, Redwyne, Peake, Oakheart, Fossoway, Ashford and others. He had their support.

So why not act already?

His father's resistance to warfare was one thing. Another was - opportunity. And it was presenting itself in the form of a certain piece of news he had learned recently.

Oldtown was a trading center and with the recent devastation of King's Landing it was the largest in Westeros. He had heard the most interesting thing.

Daenerys Targaryen was alive. Resurrected by the red priests of Volantis. 

He spoke to a Volantene merchant who saw it with his own eyes. A man Baelor knew and trusted.

She had apparently married a man who was a powerful sorcerer, claiming to be a surviving dragonlord from Valyria.

Sounds insane, he knew, but another man from Myr had sworn he saw that dragonlord kill a man with a mere flick of his wrist.

Dragons existed so why not magic.

Baelor was very open minded towards these things, thanks to the influence of archmaester Marwyn, called the Mage, a person whose believes on magic have been more widely accepted in the city when Daenerys Targaryen had come to Westeros with dragons.

She would no doubt return to Westeros soon enough. Baelor had also heard that the couple was conquering their way through the Free cities for the last year with only Braavos and Lorath remaining. And that people were resettling Valyria under their rule. Apparently her sorcerer husband had performed a massive sacrifice of thousands of men in order to conduct a ritual to make Valyria habitable again. 

Baelor had sent his younger brother Garth to talk with them and pledge our house's support to them in secret. And ask about their intentions towards Westeros. Garth had returned today and now Baelor was on his way to greet him at the docks.

There he is.

"Welcome back, brother. I hope your journey was eventful."

"It was indeed. I have much to talk to you about the wonders of Qarth."

That was all in code. They had spread false rumors that Garth was going to Qarth to conduct business so as not to rouse the suspicion of anyone. They had to be extremely careful due to the rumored abilities of King Bran. 

After that greeting they went to the only place they trusted would be spy proof or at least they hoped it to be - the base of the Hightower. There were many gloomy chambers there, unused for centuries. That place was made from oily black stone similar to the structures in Valyria. It was devoid of natural light and no one went there, not even animals or insects creeped on. A truly haunting place. But secure.

"Well, what have you learned?", asked he immediately after they had settled there and he had offered his brother some wine.

"Many things. First of all, all the rumors are completely true. She has taken almost all of the city-states in Essos and she and her husband have declared themselves empress and emperor. As to her husband - he did not seem like a liar. Proud and arrogant, sure, but a liar, no. He showed me his dragon, large enough to ride upon. Crimson red in color. He also showed me his magic. You see, just when I had arrived to see them in Volantis, they had caught spies sent from the capital. Aurion Balaerys, that is her husband's name, used his sorcery to torture the truth out of them and then cast a curse on them and sent them back to Westeros. "To scare their enemies" he said. Truly terrifying stuff. Afterwards Empress Daenerys talked with me. She accepted your allegiance, brother, and said that she accepts your conditions for an alliance. After they retake Westeros, you will be made Lord of HIghgarden and Lord Paramount of the Reach."

Yes, that was what I wanted to hear.

"Furthermore, she said that if you proved yourself further she might even make you her hand."

"How so?", his interest piqued.

"She wants you to contact other lords in Westeros and convince them to join us and support her." He could do that but he had to be careful. Who to talk to though? The Greyjoys might support her. Queen Yara was her ally. The Martells, too though not these ones. Still, he would try. Lord Gendry, the bastard she legitimized into a lord. He could be used, too. The rest were unlikely. He should be able to prove himself to her if he gives her four kingdoms. Five if Yara Greyjoy conquers the North, given she is currently invading it.

"She warned me though that Westeros as the Six or Seven Kingdoms will cease to exist."

"What do you mean?"

"She told me that she intends to add every region in Westeros as an individual constituent region of her empire." Oh, so her plan is to create an intercontinental empire, the likes of which have never been seen. Ambitious.

She just gained even more respect in his eyes.

"I left Volantis after her wedding with the dragonlord. So what do we do now?"

"Okay, we will do as asked. I will arrange to meet with likeminded lords, willing to join us. Moreover, I will secretly send people around the Kingdoms to help spread the truth of Daenerys's resurrection. Should stir things up."

It seems that things will become interesting soon enough.

Chaos is always an opportunity for the able ones to rise.

And this was his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Did you like my new chapter. Hope you did. Don't forget to comment. I like to know the general mood about my work. Thank you in advance.
> 
> Next chapter, Tyrion's attempt to gather allies and Sansa still trying to hold out against Yara.


	9. Tyrion III | Sansa II

**King's Landing, Seven Kingdoms, Westeros**

It has been a week since Jon Snow left for Braavos. A week since Tyrion had summoned all the lords of Westeros. The results were not as he would have hoped. 

He expected more of the lords to come to the capital. At least to pay their respects. And yet here are less than two dozen of them. So much for responsibility. 

Lord Edmure Tully and Lord Gendry Baratheon were the highest ranking ones present. Others were lord Royce, who was here already to begin with, lord Bracken from the Riverlands also, lord Rowan from the Reach, lord Marbrand from the Westerlands and several other minor lordlings who weren't worth mentioning....or remembering.

"My lords, I have summoned you all here to discuss what we should do. As you may have heard, Daenerys Targaryen lives and has founded an empire in Essos."

Their looks gave it all away. Royce knew from him, so he was as serious as always. Tully and Gendry were both quite surprised. Bracken, too. Marbrand was obviously concerned. 

But Rowan....his was not a look of surprise. He was merely pretending to be surprised. That was a bit worrying. He was going to ask him on this, but Rowan spoke first:

"My lord hand, my good-brother Baelor has told me of this. He has heard it from sailors from across the seas who had come to Oldtown.".

The blunt lord Mathis Rowan was not a fool it seems. Almost impressive. I can't fault him now. Though Tyrion still had his suspicions.  
Lord Baelor Hightower of Oldtown was the single most powerful, and wealthy, lord in the Reach. Military speaking, he was stronger than Bronn.

Whereas Bronn was supported by just a few minor lordlings, Baelor was supported by most of the great houses of the Reach, chief amongst them the Rowans-lord Rowan's youngest sister was Baelor's wife.  
It was no secret that Baelor was seeking to overthrow Bronn. The only reason he hasn't done so yet, Tyrion suspected, was because he feared retaliation from the capital.  
He had to prevent him supporting Daenerys.  
Somehow.

"Lord Rowan, forgive me but why isn't your good-brother here with us?"

"Well, as lord of Oldtown he has his responsibilities to that city.", which is to say that he doesn't want to associate himself with a king whose faith is different. At best. He knew there was pressure from the Faith of the Seven and the Conclave of the Maesters against the doings in the capital. Tyrion had appointed a Grand Maester, who had no chain and who had stolen books from the Citadel. The boy was wiser than all the maesters but tell them that. And Tyrion had no need of a HIgh Septon, especially given the King's own religion being that of the Old gods. At worst, Hightower was not here because he was busy plotting rebellion. Tyrion really hoped it was the former, for the latter meant he had lost the Reach. Even Bronn, who was like a cockroach, had no chance of winning in an open battle against Hightower.

"Well I will take your word for it then", as if he had a choice. "Now, my lords, let's discuss how to defend the realm."

"What is there to discuss?", asked Tully. "If she comes here, she won't attack just anyone. Only those who betrayed her,most like. Like Sansa Stark, my lord and you. And of course Jon Snow, the man who killed her in the first place. I don't think that the rest of us should worry about anything. If we bend the knee to her, chances are that we will continue to live on as we are." 

Wow, that was brazen, to say the least. I didn't think Tully had it in him.

"This is treason!", exclaimed Royce.

"Please, calm yourselves. Even if that is true, my lord, what about your family? Your niece and nephew?! Your king?! Will you simply let them die screaming without even lifting a finger? What about your house's words - Family, duty, honor. I am missing them all three."

"I seem to remember how they insulted me at the Great council. They have disrespected me ever since. And my first duty is to the Riverlands.", retorted lord Tully. It seems that one has changed greatly while in Lannister custody. "My son Edmund is 6 years old. I will not leave him an orphan just to protect my cousins."

Fair argument. Can't argue with that.

"Gentlemen, please. We are currently looking for allies beyond the seas. Braavos has not fallen yet. They could be a great ally. We have sent ambassadors there to talk with the Sealord and the Iron bank."

"Even if that works, how do you intend to deal with her dragons?", asked Lord Gendry. Robert's bastard had turned lord.

"We still have scorpions. They could kill a dragon. I have seen with my own eyes."

"I seem to remember that King's Landing had many of those. How did that help your sister when Daenerys Targaryen attacked the capital?", retorted Gendry. 

"I will be frank with you my lord, none of us want to burn alive. And you can't possibly win." Of course I know, you cunt. I just want to survive this. Like you lot. 

"But if we present a united front and she sees she is not welcome..."

"She will tuck tails and run?", laughed Bracken. "You really think that would happen?!" He hoped. Not anymore. 

"If none of you would help your king, then why come?" He really wanted to know at least that much.

"To hear the dwarf's final jape, my lord.", said Tully.

"And what king are you talking about here?!", asked sarcastically Rowan.  
"Your so called Great council consisted of Starks and their allies mostly. No one from the Reach was there. And you just picked a crippled boy with alleged supernatural powers and named him king. It was a joke."

It was to save the realm. But it made no point to drag this out further. He had failed. He would have to prepare the capital for a siege. Or funeral.

They left the capital, soon after. Even Marbrand, who was his vassal had come only out of respect to inform him, that no more Western resources and men will be wasted on foolish Lannister wars. And he spoke for all of them.

That was it. The death of the final Lannister was approaching. 

He went to speak with the king. He wanted to ask him whether his powers could be useful in the battles to come.

"No." Plain and simple. Tyrion had kind of expected that. Still....

"Why?"

"I cannot possess their dragons, since they are creatures of magic, if that's what you want to know. And even if I could. That man, that dragonlord. He is too powerful for me to go against. Now, all of our hopes are in the hands of Jon."

Jon Snow was our last hope. Great.

* * *

**Winterfell, Kingdom of the North**

The Ironborn had been invading us for more than six months now. At first it was a proper war. The Ironborn were the best fighters - at sea. On the land, they were no better than an ordinary army. Though they weren't much of an organized army, they were good warriors, all of them. The North hasn't had a fleet for thousands of years. The few ships they had were on the east coast. Winterfell was in the middle of the North so the enemy always had a long road to it. From any direction.

The Ironborn had taken Flint's Finger and soon enough had easily taken Bear island. The new lady Mormont's status was unknown. She was a cousin of Lyanna Mormont, slightly older than her. A girl aged sixteen named Joslyn. 

Then there was the Rills, The Ryswells fought valiantly. Fought, past tense. They are dead. 

The Glovers of Deepwood Motte arranged an ambush for the enemy at Sea Dragon Point. Many deaths on both sides. The battle was ultimately won by the squids.

And then there was the Wolfswood. The Battle of the Wolfswood lasted for weeks and is still ongoing. Many northerners are deadlocked there with the majority of the Ironborn invaders. Fighting for her. They have to hold out.

Especially, after yesterday.

Yesterday, Sansa received a letter from Tyrion - Daenerys Targaryen lives again. The foreign whore had married some warlock and was conquering the free cities. So long for the free cities. It won't be long before she turned her eyes to Westeros, to the people who had killed her. No doubt Sansa herself will be blamed. Tyrion was talking about uniting the lords of the realm against her. As if that is possible. They are cowards. The lot of them. And he had sent Jon to seek alliance with Braavos. No doubt her first husband planned to use Jon to trick the Dragon queen again. Also unlikely. And she still had to deal with Greyjoy. Could she win?

Sansa didn't know. 

Still, she had to focus on the present. 

She went to the ramparts to take a look. 

"General, any news from the front?" She had been asking him the same question for days now and she still received the same answer.

"None, your Grace. The battle is still a stalemate."

"Report immediately if that changes."

"Yes, your Grace."

After he left, she was left alone with her thoughts. Why was the world always intend on crumbling around her? Was this a punishment from the Gods for craving power? What was so wrong with that? Everybody did so. Many people have done worse but she was suffering. The dragon queen had burned an entire city, tens of thousands were consumed by flames and now some god had saw fit to resurrect her. Were the gods mad, or just cruel?

Whatever the case, she would survive!

Asking the general so often about the state of the battle was not just out of concern for her men there.

First - if they won the battle and captured or killed Yara Greyjoy there, that would be it. If she is out of the picture, the ironborn would hurry back to their islands and begin infighting for their crown. Yara was the last Greyjoy. 

Second - if they lost, she knew that soon enough Winterfell itself would be besieged. If that happened, honestly, Sansa didn't know what to do. She would either stay or flee with a small retinue, her son and Karra. Leaving her 'brave husband' in charge of Winterfell. It was a sensible tactic. She had to defend the future and the North's independence. 

Of course there was the third option which was the best tactic. Sent Karra and her son with a small retinue to the Eyrie or to King's Landing. Whoever wants to rule the North - Tyrion or Daenerys Targaryen - would need her son - alive.

She didn't want to die but there were just too many people who wanted to kill her. Maybe she should give them what they want in order to protect her house. And her loved ones. What to do?

Suddenly she heard a familiar voice, a short girl, looking a little like a boy, dressed in leather with a wolf brooch on her coat:

"Hello, sister. How is your reign going?" It was Arya. Arya was home. Suddenly she felt so happy to meet her younger sister that she hugged her.

"I thought you were dead. What happened?

"So little faith. Well, surprise. Turns out the journey was not so successful. We reached an island called Vard Yegeol. In the language of the locals it means Lonely land. The people there were a bit hostile but they gave us enough supplies to go back to Westeros. We were all too tired to keep going. Still, it was fun. How are things here?"

Sansa told her everything - about the ironborn, about Jon, about Daenerys Targaryen, about Karra and about her son.

"Well, I am happy about you. You got it all. Except for peace and quiet it seems. How can I help?

Finally, someone who could turn things around.

"I need you to help me with the ironborn. They are fighting our men in the Wolfswood. If you could sneak in and murder Yara Greyjoy, they would disperse. Their leaders would go back to their islands and we would be free to focus on the dragon's return."

"Okay leave it to me. It is about time I went to kill a queen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise - Arya is back. And Sansa is not hopeless, for now. After all it wouldn't be much of a fight if there is no resistance right?  
What do you think? Don't forget to comment.  
Next chapter in Sunday - Back to Valyria and Jon


	10. Aurion IV | Jon III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the long awaited confrontation between the dragons and the...…………. wolf/dragon hybrid ?

**New Valyria, New Valyrian Empire, Essos**

The morning sun shined brightly through the windows. They were lying naked in each other's arms in their bed. As much as he would have liked to remain like that forever, he had to get up for two reasons. 

First - they had work to do, responsibilities as rulers.

Second - the sun was annoying him. The sunlight went directly into his eyes. Maybe that reason was more compelling than the other.

After lazily crawling out of bed, so as not to wake her up, he got to the window. Despite him living his whole life here, most of the time, the city had spent the last few centuries as a haunted ruin. Well, thanks to them, not anymore. 

The city was slowly repopulating itself. People were coming here from all over the empire. By last count, there were about 15000 people permanently living in the city, more coming everyday.

There were many types of people here:

\- Many of the liberated slaves, the freedmen and women, had been unable to reintegrate back into society in their former cities, so they had come here, where they were all equal before the law;

\- Many nobles and rich merchants from the Free cities also wanted to establish themselves in our beautiful city. As long as they can make themselves useful, he did not mind that;

\- And of course, there were many commoners who simply sought their fortune here. All in all, the city had gotten quite colorful.

As previously promised, several institution had started establishing their own branches here, chief of which was the Iron bank of Braavos, soon to be known as The Iron Bank of Valyria.

Thanks to his spell, Aurion had restored the city exactly as it was before the Doom. Granted the Fourteen Flames were not as violent as they were during his youth, but perhaps they were never meant to be. Maybe they had erupted because of overexploitation. Aurion and Daenerys would never make that same mistake.

But he still looked upon it with sadness.

These weren't HIS people. They were all strangers who were making themselves comfortable in his friends' and neighbors' homes. New Valyria, indeed. If it wasn't for Dany he might have gone mad in this brave new world.

Still, he was in control of it, so that helped, too.

They had established a meritocracy. Only learned and useful people could involve themselves in government. They had also established a High Council and City Council. 

The City Council had to look after the affairs of the city, all its needs had to be addressed appropriately. After his children, Rhaegar and Rhaenyra, turn sixteen he would make them attend in order to learn how to govern. They would have to, one day.

Aurion was thinking of making that a tradition for future generations - first, learn how to rule a city, then an empire. They had hoped all of the cities under their control would establish such institutions and link them tightly to Valyria's High Council, but that would take time.

The High Council would take care of the affairs of the whole empire. It is presided over by himself and Dany, and it includes representatives from every single state that was part of the empire. The number of representatives per state depended on population.

The highest ranking members of it, apart from himself and his wife, would be the masters of specific affairs, akin to Westeros and its small council. Only these ones would have to be very able in their duties.

These positions were the Masters of Intelligence, Treasury, War, Trade, Agriculture and Justice.

The punishment for incompetence would be severe.

Still, they had sorted that out recently and he was quite happy about it.

Dany, their twins and himself had taken residence in the former Parliament of the Freeholders Palace, now known simply as the Imperial Palace.

It was the single largest building in Valyria. It consisted of 13 towers that went for the heavens and large interconnected dome-like structures of equal number. It was decorated with countless sphinxes and dragons of all sizes and shapes, each made from rare materials, gold, silver, rubies, emeralds, etc.  
The Palace was built as grand and as ornately as possible in order to impress upon others the might and glory of Valyria. And it did. The building itself was used for what its name implies plus as a residence for foreign dignitaries.

Not it was that, and a imperial palace, a home.

The palace of the Targaryen-Balaerys Imperial Dynasty. That was the name of his family now. Sounded better than that house thing Westerosi used.

Suddenly he felt someone approaching him from behind. That someone pressed her naked breasts on his back, hugged his chest from behind and pressed her lips against his neck.

"Someone's got up early", said Dany.

"Well, certain somebody has work to do, while another somebody sleeps naked in the bed. At least you look cute.", said he with a mischievous smile. 

"Oh, so I am lazy now? Need I remind you who was sleeping for 500 years?", she retorted.

"Fine, fine sheesh. Honestly, you never fail to bring that up. We have work to do you know. Enemies to conquer, remember?"

"Speaking of enemies, yesterday, just before going to bed, Gaemon told me our Braavosi trap has sprung. You would never guess who decided to visit Braavos to beg for help against us."

Gaemon, their Master of Intelligence. After he and Aenea had married last week, Aurion had made him a wedding present in the form of his First Disciple's appointment as Master of Intelligence (spymaster). His right-hand-man had been proving himself quite able in this task too, it seems. His skills in magic were growing as well.

"Who? Tyrion Lannister?"

"Better.", she said with a wicked smile on her face.

Oh, so it is him. I wondered when that man would make an appearance.

"Well then, tell Gaemon, to go personally escort him here." 

Finally, time for me to face him.

Aurion had two faces. One was a face of love, concern, joviality and kindness, reserved for his wife and children. For his closest friends, too. But his second one was reserved for his subjects and his enemies - a face of seriousness and strength, hiding his hostility for those who would threaten or insult his own. A face of fury and anger. 

And Jon Snow was an enemy.

* * *

**Imperial city of Braavos (publicly still known as the Free city of Braavos)**

It was a foggy and, quite frankly, a strange day in Braavos. Jon had been here for more than three weeks now. Back when he left for here, he though that whatever happened, would happen at once.

Well, It didn't.

Instead, he had been made to wait. 

"For how long?", he had asked.

"Until, you are called upon, my lord." is what he was answered. Both by the Iron Bank's people and the Sealord palace's officials.

That was three weeks ago and this morning he had received a message from both institutions to come to the Sealord's palace to meet with both. It was a shock to be certain. He had hired for himself a small manse in the city. He didn't like the city. The people were strange, many young men were out on the streets looking for a fight. His guide had told him that having a weapon with you, while walking outside, was like an invitation to be challenged to a duel. He didn't want to separate himself from Longclaw, so he always kept it covered by his cloak.

He was eager to leave and if all went well, he would leave today. But Jon had the feeling that this wouldn't be that simple. Surely these people knew of Daenerys's threat. If so, then why make him wait. Surely, protecting their own city was imperative. Right?

Well, he would find out soon enough. Jon entered through the huge doors and soon enough found himself in a large chamber. Inside the windowless room, there were many paintings and tapestries, in the center - a huge table. On one side there was a chair for himself, most like. 

On the other sat three people. The two on the left introduced themselves as Tormo Fregar - the Sealord of Braavos and Tycho Nestoris - a representative for the Iron Bank. 

The third one did not introduce himself. He was quite different from the other two. Apart from staying silent, he also had a very mean look in his eyes. He was also a handsome man, not very strongly built but still handsome, with silver hair and light purple eyes. He reminded him of Daenerys. Strangely enough, those features were common in Essos, especially Lys. Still, Jon couldn't help but feel that man strangely out of place here. Jon sat.

"My lords, my name is Jon Snow Lord of Hardhome and Lord Paramount of the Lands Beyond the Wall in Westeros.", he had already practiced several times how to say all this. The perks of waiting. "I thank you for welcoming me here. As I understand the free cities are under threat from the tyranny of Daenerys Targaryen, a woman known for her sacking of cities. Soon enough, she would come for your city and then for Westeros. We will need to fight together in order to prevail against the tyrants whose sole desire is to destroy the world that we have. I beseech you to join me in an alliance with the thrones of the Six kingdoms of Westeros and the Kingdom of the North in order to save the world as we know it. If we fight alone, we are lost but together, we have a chance to fight back."

There he said it. The two men whose names he knew just looked at each other but it was the third man who reacted first. With a loud clapping.

"Bravo, bravo. Truly a great speech. I had heard you were an eloquent man. Did you practice in front of a mirror?", he asked quite sarcastically. The other two men couldn't help but chuckle.

"My lord, I urge to take this matter most seriously.", Jon couldn't understand what was wrong with this man.

"Oh, there is no need for all that. You see, lord Snow, my name is Gaemon Venerys First Disciple of his Worship Emperor Aurion of New Valyria, as well as their Graces' Master of Intelligence. And Braavos is already a constituent part of their empire."

As soon as he heard him, Jon realized two things - that this was a trap and he had to leave immediately. He tried to unsheathe Longclaw but the man, Gaemon, simply waved his hand in front of his face and said something in Valyrian.

Jon's vison turned black and, depite his efforts, he fell into a deep sleep.

**Imperial Palace, Valyria, New Valyrian Empire.**

****

When he woke up he was in front of her, Daenerys, and who he presumed to be her husband - Aurion.

They were sitting on a massive throne, several times larger than the Iron throne used to be. It had a massive back ornately depicting a red three-headed dragon, formed from rubies, surrounded by a great serpent made from silver, on a black onyx background from which the rest of the back was made. The rest of that monstrous throne was made of gold with rare jewels inlayed into it. The throne was flanked by the statues of two massive Valyrian sphinxes. 

What was more the throne was made with two conjoined seats. They were sitting there as equals. Funny how, that could have been Jon beside her.

Then that man, Gaemon, standing on the side of Aurion, announced:

"Criminal, you stand in the presence of the Great Dragonlord Aurion of Houses Balaerys and Targaryen, the First of his Name, Emperor of the New Valyrian Empire, Lord of all along the Rhoyne, Protector of the Free Cities, Defender of the Faiths and Second Father and Restorer of Valyria."

He was followed by a beautiful woman his age, with raven black hair and deep blue eyes, standing on the side of Daenerys, who added:

"And of

Queen Daenerys of Houses Targaryen and Balaerys, The First of her Name, Empress of the New Valyrian Empire, Lady Regnant of all along the Rhoyne, Protector of the Free Cites, Defender of the Faith, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons."

After they had finished their introductions, he noticed they weren't the only people present. The chamber was built so that people coming here would feel inferior. They were standing a bit lower than the draconic couple.

Still higher than Jon though.

Their seats were joined to the walls, like small balconies, each large enough for only one man, consisting of a chair and a table. They were six in number. The only ones amongst them that Jon recognized were Grey Worm and Gaemon Venerys, who had taken the only empty seat there after he had finished announcing his master.

The other people stood beside him, though separated by fences. They all looked differently but all had one thing in common - hostility for Jon.

"You know your crimes - treason, oathbreaking, regicide and kinslaying!", Daenerys finally spoke. "Have you anything to say in your defense?"

"Please, whatever I did, me and others, please do not make innocents suffer." He had nothing else to say or ask. They had reached this point, of no return. He was unlikely to be left alive.

"That is no answer, you disgusting sub-Valyrian character.", the man beside her, Aurion said, his voice full of hatred. I have none for you, unless....

"I demand a trial by combat." It was the only way for him to achieve something here. At least he could kill Aurion, that man fought with dragons and sorcery, so Jon hoped he would be unskilled with a blade.

"Hoo, a duel then. Funny, but we wouldn't lend a dragon to you to fight with, Jon Snow."

What the heck is he talking about?

"My love,", said Daenerys with a sweet and yet serious tone, "I believe he means a duel between just the two of you."

Yes, you sick fuck.

"Okay then. Let's go outside and I will light him on fire like a giant candle. Should be fun."

"With swords, not spells. I have no magic.", frantically screamed Jon at him.

"Swords?! Only girls fight with swords in actual combat!", exclaimed Aurion with an honest look of surprise. Everyone there, including Daenerys, looked at the emperor with a genuine bewilderment expressed on their faces.

"Let's humor him. I do not believe that he could fight any other way.", said Daenerys to defuse the situation.

"Fine. A trial by combat, then. How could a woman like you ever fall for a weakling like him?", Jon could have sworn he heard her giggling. "Plus, I could use a good stretching."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here we are. Tomorrow Jon's trial by combat. Who do you vote for - Aurion or Jon?  
And also Baelor Hightower and the Reach lords make their intentions known.
> 
> Don't forget to comment! :)


	11. Daenerys IV | Baelor II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epic duel between Aurion and Jon is here. Don't forget to comment on it.

**Valyria, New Valyrian Empire**

The battle was to be held the next evening at the Great Entertainment Arena. It was a very large arena, larger than Daznak's pit in Meereen, where the Valyrians of old used to watch all kinds of spectacles.

Apparently, it was a popular destination, given how many seats there were - 70000 seats to be precise. It was also well lit for in the arena itself, one could clearly observe what was happening even in the night. 

Apart from plays and mock battles that were held here, other events, more darker ones were also part of the programs.

According to Aurion, here they also did the most savage of executions and torments for the pleasure of the lower masses. Evidently, even in Valyria, the smallfolk were bloodthirsty. Never Valyrians though. No matter how terrible the crime, the worst punishment for a person, who had even a single drop of Valyrian blood, was a simple execution.

The Guild of Innovators, an esteemed member of which her husband used to be, had a subgroup within it called the Chapter of Travesties. They used to perform all sorts of experiments on living beings - both animals and human. Of course, the humans were not willing participants - either the worst of criminals or rebel slaves. Some of the creatures created were left to fight each other here.

In short, the perfect place for the duel.

A large audience had gathered - from the smallfolk to the nobility, almost everybody in Valyria, actually.

There they were, the two contestants.

First entered Aurion. He was wearing a Valyrian steel armor and was holding a thin Valyrian steel longsword in one hand. 

The crowd roared in appreciation and support for their ruler, who was fighting for her. Aurion was not at all used to these things and had hoped this wouldn't have to be such a grand event, but she insisted. Daenerys wanted to do it this way.

Even though she suspected, he didn't fully realize it but he was already quite worshipped by their people. 

Just like she had been called Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains and all that, after his impressive feats of magic, chief of which was the Restoration of Valyria, he had gained some rather impressive monikers:

\- The Red priests and their worshippers had called him the Lord's Brightest Light, probably because Kinvara didn't want him to be worshipped as a living god;

\- The Volantene were calling him simply The Great;

\- The Dothraki - The Exalted One;

\- Just as the freedmen were calling her Mother, some had started to call him Father.

There were other similar epithets he had acquired but she wouldn't tell him. Knowing him, Aurion would most likely be embarrassed to hear them.

Then entered Jon Snow - the challenger. The welcome he received from the spectators was quite the opposite - his greetings consisted of rotten fruit being thrown at him. Jon was dressed as per usual - simple black leathers, without all the fur though. He had Longclaw in one hand. 

Daenerys herself and her High Council masters were standing at the tribune. After both of them had gathered before her, she spoke:

"In the sight of all the Gods in all the Heavens, you, Jon Snow, have chosen to defend your innocence yourself in this trial by combat. In turn you, Aurion Balaerys will fight for the prosecution. May the Gods grant victory to the righteous. Begin!"

After she was done speaking the actual duel began. Jon immediately went on the offensive but her husband parried all of his blows, to the obvious surprise of Jon.

"I didn't think you would be this good.", told him Jon.

"Did you naively assume that I would be weak with a blade? You truly know nothing, Jon Snow!" That was the moment that Aurion started going on the offensive. His moves were swift and accurate, similar to those of bravos from Braavos but better. Almost like a dance. A Dance of Death. 

She had learned of his skills only this morning. Apparently his father - dragonlord Vaelor Balaerys, was a very strict man. A general in the army, he was initially against his son devoting his life in the study of magic. Instead he decreed that his son would be left to pursue it only after beating him in a sword fight. When Aurion had turned 17, he had managed to soundly defeat his father, who himself was a highly skilled swordsman.

Suddenly, Aurion's intricate blade caught on fire and with a single swing of the sword, he shot an arc of fire in Jon's direction, who only narrowly managed to avoid it. Jon's tunic was burning though, so he removed it in haste, to the laughter and awe of the crowds.

"We agreed!", Jon said through his gasps for air. "We agreed you wouldn't use magic."

"But that is no magic. This", Aurion held the blade high, "is a Sword of Ages. There are only thirty of those ever made. One for each TRUE Dragonlord. This one is mine. Your Valyrian steel sword is a toy made for tourists, Jon Snow. Mine can channel my willpower and turn in into mighty flames as hot as those of an ancient dragon."

The flames around the blade intensified so much that it appeared that he had a giant sword made of fire. "As you can witness, my will is quite strong."

"But...this is cheating!"

"This is simply his sword, not his magic. Our Emperor cannot give you any more handicaps. Do not call him cheater, Jon Snow.", exclaimed the Master of Justice.

And so the battle continued. No longer holding back, Aurion unleashed multiple fiery arcs in his direction with Jon struggling to dodge them. Suddenly Jon dashed towards Aurion. Did he realize that he couldn't fight from a distance or was he simply mad?

Daenerys didn't know.

Jon made a great leap and landed right in front of her husband, blade striking blade with a deafening clank of metal. It created a small shockwave that spread the sound around them.

The crowd went wild. 

Aurion and Jon started to trade blow after blow as the Sword of Ages' heat intensified, it was like they both were engulfed in the flames. Her husband, just like her, was unhurt by the inferno that had formed around them. 

Jon Snow on the other hand was on fire - in every sense of the word. For a while they kept clashing blade to blade, but, due to the intense heat, Jon couldn't keep up. 

For a long and intense moment no one could see, what was happening inside the fire storm.

Suddenly, a right arm holding a sword flew from the inferno. And then Jon Snow fell out of it also. Or rather, kicked out. He fell on the ground, in the dirt - an arm missing and covered in burns.

And then, there he stood.

Her husband, her emperor, her champion.

The Great Dragonlord Aurion Baelerys stood in all his glory. Surrounded by the aura of flames generated from the Sword of Ages, he looked like a living flame. Like a vengeful god of fire.

"The Lord's champion!", some R'hllor followers started chanting.

Drogon and Ruberion were flying in the skies above them for the whole time. Just as Jon was falling on the ground, his right arm sliced off, they started roaring.

As did every spectator. 

"A good show of power" is what she told him about this. She didn't know how right she were.

"For what you did to HER, you shall now pay the ultimate price!". Aurion screamed at him, while holding the flaming sword high in his hand. It's fiery blade was shining so bright.

Just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow to the now badly burned and one-handed man, he gasped as loud as he could:

"I yield, I yield. Please, stop this. I surrender!"

"Cowardly scum!"

Aurion looked at Dany. The original plan was to imprison Jon not fight him. Despite his wretched state, he had his uses.

"The Imperial Crown accepts your cowardly surrender Jon Snow. Henceforth, your life is ours to do with as we please."

There was some murmurs from the crowds. Sorry, but he will have his uses soon enough.

"Now, all of you, our loyal subjects, praise your Emperor for his magnificent battle prowess. All Hail, Emperor Aurion!"

"All Hail, Emperor Aurion!"

"All Hail, Emperor Aurion!"

"All Hail, Emperor Aurion!"

* * *

** Oldtown, The Reach, Westeros **

The weather was pleasant. The streets were packed with people, all excited. And for a good reason.

A great Tournament had been organized in honor of Baelor's Fortieth nameday. Every lord in the Reach was in attendance. Including Lord Bronn of HIghgarden, who was not in a good mood. Not much of a surprise though.

Most of the lords here were not sucking up to him. Maybe, because they weren't the lickspittles that he was used to associate with. Each of them had also brought him a gift. His liege hadn't gone through that trouble, but it didn't matter. 

Baelor didn't feel insulted. Bronn himself was his gift. Even though he doesn't know this. But he is about to. 

The Tournament was near its end.

The melee was won by Baelor's brother Garth Hightower.

The archery competition was won by one of lord Fossoway's man-at-arms.

The jousting was still ongoing.

This was the last tilt. The competitors were ser Tanton Fossoway and Alyn Ambrose, Baelor's nephew. 

And....Alyn won.

After the unexpected victory of young Alyn, Baelor personally rewarded his nephew to the acclaim of all present. Well, all but Bronn. Just because that sellsword-turned-lord was a knight, didn't mean he would be knighting everyone.

After that was the feast. 

To both of their great disgust, as per tradition, Bronn and Baelor had to sit alongside each other.

"Are you enjoying yourself my lord?", asked Baelor.

"Yes, why wouldn't I? Just three days of mock battles and stupid competitions. Why wouldn't I be having fun?" He was trying, Baelor had to admit. 

"Yes, I sure hope so. One does enjoy a good tournament."

"Pity that I wasn't the one to knight the lad. He did good." So you did get jealous.

"Well, my apologies my lord. It was at the spur of the moment."

That was it for their conversation. Afterwards Bronn got out of the room and went outside, along with some of his courtiers.

His lordship's wife was left alone. But Baelor felt she preferred that. 

Clementine Redwyne. She wasn't a happy bride. Through several treaties and negotiations, conducted by the Hand of the King, lord Redwyne was forced to wed her to Bronn.

But now she, her father, Baelor and their other co-conspirators had breathing room. They were all intentionally put on the same dais. 

"When will it happen?", asked impatiently the lady of Highgarden.

"Soon, I have men waiting outside and the wine I had gifted Bronn is quite strong. He and his men would be easy to kill."

"And then? How do we explain all this to the people present?", asked lord Rowan, Baelor's brother-in-law.

"We will just tell them the truth. Most wouldn't mind, especially after seeing the backing I have."

It was a bold move on Baelor's part but it was calculated.

Recently, they had heard news that Jon Snow had been taken by Daenerys and Aurion and then his Grace had fought him in an epic duel. Aurion had won but their Graces had kept Snow captive for some reason. 

Then a messenger had informed them that they would start their invasion of Westeros within the year. That was two months ago. Afterwards, he had made several overtures to the Great lords of Westeros:

\- Yara Greyjoy was not responding. According to rumors she was fighting in the Wolfswood where she was grievously injured;

\- Manfrey Martell confessed he cared not who ruled in the capital, but he would bend the knee to Daenerys and Aurion and offer his allegiance;

\- Lord Gendry Baratheon said he wouldn't fight the Starks but he had no desire to fight Daenerys, so he would bend the knee;

\- Lord Edmure Tully seemed a good choice, after what lord Rowan had told him of what happened in the capital. Lord Tully had said the same as lord Gendry. Except, he didn't seem as reluctant to fight the Starks.

It was time. Baelor and his allies went outside, where the drunken Lord Paramount of the Reach was barely standing on his legs. When he saw their daggers, he muttered: "Treasonous fucks..."

And then, they stabbed him.

First was Clementine, straight in Bronn's genitals;

Then her father lord Paxter Redwyne, in the belly;

After that the others took turns until Baelor was the last.

"Goodbye my lord, it hasn't been a pleasure!", said he and stabbed the dying Bronn in the neck leaving his corpse on the ground, riddled with daggers.

The courtiers of Bronn were already on the ground from the strong wine.

Afterwards they returned back to the great hall, Baelor took his place on the dais and raised a glass:

"My lords and ladies, we have gathered here together not just to celebrate the tourney, but to celebrate a great day for the Reach. That disgusting pig that has been put in Highgarden by the usurper in the capital has been killed...by us."

The reactions were mixed. Some were very excited, others were shocked but most - simply listened.

"As most of you are certainly aware, the true queen lives again. Daenerys Targaryen is back from the dead and I have it on good authority that within the year, she would be invading the country. I have declared my allegiance to her, through my brother, who served as my ambassador to her empire. By her, I have been declared Lord of Highgarden and Lord Paramount of the Reach. It is my desire to rule you all with truth and justice, In accordance to the true queen's laws. However, now I would ask you all to swear your allegiance to me as the new Lord Paramount of the Reach."

First his closest allies and then the rest followed suit.

Soon enough all the nobility gathered here, welcomed him as the replacement of the disgusting lord Bronn.

Clementine would be married to his brother Garth. The two liked each other and were betrothed before Bronn came here in the first place. He would gift them lordship of Highgarden but Baelor would stay on as Lord Paramount, moving the Reach's capital from Highgarden to Oldtown. 

The capital would hear of this soon enough, but what of it?

Soon, it will begin - the war.

This one was unlikely to take too long though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Don't forget to comment. :)
> 
> Next: Sansa's current situation and a certain character finally makes their appearance.


	12. Sansa III | Yara I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who is back - our favorite ironborn!  
Also what happened after our queen-killing Stark went on her mission.

**Winterfell, Kingdom of the North, Westeros**

It has been a long time since Arya left for the Wolfswood. Arya was a strong woman, despite being shorter than Sansa. The Queen in the North knew she could be relied upon. But the results were not at all what she was expecting.

The Battle of the Wolfswood was inconclusive.

According to her soldiers, who had returned from the front, Arya had managed to sneak into enemy camp, disguised as one of the Ironborn, thanks to her faces. They did not know if Yara Greyjoy was dead, but Arya was surely captured as the Ironborn retreated back to Deepwood Motte. 

Was this a victory or a defeat?

According to her generals, it was the first. In a way it was, Sansa supposed. They were currently holding a small feast, to celebrate it. The men needed encouragement. To feel winners, at least for tonight.

This was no win. According to their tradition, if Yara was dead, the Ironborn captains would have returned to the Iron Islands to elect a new ruler, and yet they didn't.

That surely meant that Arya had failed and was now captured or worse - tortured or dead.

Her sister was a wolf and she was strong. But she might be dead by now. Well, at least Sansa and all at Winterfell were save. For now.

The Ironborn will return. It was only a matter of time. Sansa had to banish them from her lands, permanently.

"My lords and friends!" She gathered their attention. "We have won a great victory thanks to our men's courage. Northern valor is indeed fearsome!"

"Hear, hear!" cheered fat lord Manderly.

"But now we must begin gathering our strength in order to cast out these invaders once and for all!"

Their cheers were deafening. One could forget that until recently, they were losing.

After an hour or so, she left to see her son in his crib. 

There he was in Karra's hands. 

"Your Grace, isn't he just adorable?"

"He is. And so are you. I want you in my chambers tonight."

"Of course. As you command.", said Karra with a look of mischief in her eyes.

She enjoyed the way Sansa treated her sometimes. Like a thing. Normally Sansa would be disgusted, but in Karra she saw someone who makes her feel good and might even love her.  
Not that it mattered to her. Sansa cared only for her son. Sansa loved Karra, but years of abuse by Joffrey and Ramsey had twisted the meaning of that sacred word.  
They had twisted her heart beyond repair.  
She loves Karra the way a child loves its favorite toy. Nothing irreplaceable. She would find another, if this one became unusable.

What a monster have I become? 

That night Karra distracted her of those thought within 3 hours of lovemaking. In the end, both they and the bed were drenched in sweat and....other liquids.

"So how is my victorious queen feeling tonight?", asked Karra, while massaging Sansa's breast.

"Thoroughly pleasured.", said Sansa with a smile. An honest smile. Sansa really enjoyed their time together.

"I am glad to hear the feeling is mutual. Not what I felt earlier.  
Are you worried about your sister?"

"Yes." Sansa was truly worried but also relieved that the immediate danger was lifted. Her sister had been lost to her again though. 

"You could see her again. Don't lose hope."

She was not planning to. By now she knew better than to presume her dead without seeing the body first.

They got up from the wet bed and went to the window to enjoy the moonlight.

"Have you finally turned into a romantic Sansa Stark?"

"It is your fault for that. You are responsible for mending my broken heart."

"The honor is mine, your Grace."

Karra mockingly knelt and started kissing Sansa's feet, making her way up. Slowly, driving her crazy. Forcing her to moan.

"Oh, Karra."

"Should I stop?"

"You do that and I will kill you.", threatened Sansa with all the seriousness she could muster in the situation.

Karra simply laughed and kept pleasuring her. The night was far from over. 

Was what Sansa felt now love? She hoped it was so. Sansa wanted to feel, again. She didn't want to be a heartless monster like Joffrey or Ramsay or Cersei or Baelish or anything similar. She would love. She would learn how to do so again. 

Sansa swore to the Old Gods and the New.

Sansa was so distracted by the bliss that was currently passing through her body, that she failed to notice the red dragon in the distance, being briefly illuminated by the moonlight.

* * *

**Deepwood Motte, The North, Westeros**

Was she going to die? Yara was a fearless warrior of the sea, a queen. However in the face of uncertainty, she was not so brave. She had been wounded badly by Arya Stark - that little bitch had stabbed her twice in the stomach and three times in her shoulder before Qarl and Tris had managed to put her down. They didn't kill her though. They had to torture her first. She wanted that. To brake that fearless grin on the young woman's face.

There was another reason for that. Yara was pregnant. She was almost certain that Qarl was the father. In a strange process, she had taken him as her rock husband. Weird, right. Well, she was queen of the Iron Islands now, so she would decide what was weird. She needed a child to succeed her and was happy when she learned she had one on the way. 

Now that bitch may have killed it before it was even born. When in a fit of rage, she had told her that, Arya Stark hadn't even flinched.

Right now, Yara was lying in her bedchamber and had Arya Stark tortured in front of her. It made her feel slightly better. 

She had the little animal stuck inside a small cage. She didn't look so good, either. All bruised and filthy, some of her fingernails missing. 

Arya did not scream though. Not once. No sign of discomfort. So her entertainment was quite limited.

Suddenly Tris and Qarl barged inside in a hurry.

"Yara, we have a visitor.", said Qarl.

"A messenger from the bitch queen in Winterfell?"

"No.....a dragonrider. He wants to meet you." answered Tris.

What, a dragonrider? Male? She had heard some rumors from the east but she didn't pay them much attention. She had started this war not just for revenge but for conquest. She didn't have time for false hope that her friend was back. And yet.

"Tell him to meet me in the Great hall of this blasted excuse for a castle. Qarl help me get there. You, bring this one with us. I don't want to lose her from sight."

The Great hall of Deepwood Motte was not truly great. A big damp place, a large plain wooden table in the middle, a big chair that passed for a throne, hunting trophies on the walls.

But there was the man who caught their eyes. Her visitor.

He was wearing clothes from black and red tunic. Some gold, here and there, jewelry. A bracelet with a red gem on his left hand, a brooch on his intricately crafted coat depicting the Targaryen dragon surrounded by a serpent. On his belt he carried a Valyrian steel longsword, a thin blade with a very exquisite handle, resembling a dragon with rubies in his tail and eyes. Then man had a smile on his face, too. A handsome face - silver hair and purple eyes. A dragon's looks.

"Welcome.", she wasn't really sure what to say. The man had basically barged in with his dragon and demanded to see her. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Hello Yara Greyjoy, I am Emperor Aurion Balaerys of Valyria. I have many titles but I do not believe I remember them all." Neither can I mine, sometimes.

"As to what I want, well, to help you out."

He approached her. Qarl and Tris made a move to stop him but they were stopped by her. If he wanted to harm her, she would be dead by now, if even half of what she had heard about this man was true.

He touched her and said something in Valyrian. And then....her pain disappeared. It was like it was never there. She felt as strong as she was before the war. The Clash of the Queens as some man had called it.

"How?"

"Magic. simple as that. Your baby is also fine by the way. Perfectly healthy. Though I wouldn't recommend that you spend your pregnancy in this damp place. What is this some peasant's hovel?"

"This is our home, you monsters.", suddenly shouted the son of lord Glover. He and his mother were kept here, chained to the wall. Her trophies. She wasn't cruel enough to put them in the dungeons, out of sight, where her man could do God knows what.

"Thank you. I thought I, or we, were going to die.", she thanked him sincerely.

"No problem. Happy to help."

They didn't pay much attention to the Glovers and sat on the table. She offered him some wine they had and he smiled.

"Thank you. So, let me start from the beginning and confirm your suspicions. Yes, Daenerys lives again, is married to me, and we rule Essos. Or most of what you know of it anyways. All the lands from Pentos to the Bone mountains and from Braavos to Meereen. It is all ours. And now, we will invade Westeros. For conquest, revenge, fun you name it. Care to renew your alliance with my wife?"

As if he had to ask. Of course she wanted to, besides you don't say no to a dragon.

"Of course, I am glad she lives again."

"Indeed she does. We also have captured Jon Snow recently. I defeated him in a rather epic duel, if I can say so myself."

They eyed Arya. She had a look of shock in her eyes.

Finally.

"You lying bastard. You couldn't have bested my brother. He is infinitely better man than you and that whor...... Aaaaaaaaarghaghhhhhh.

She screamed . She gave a scream so loud Yara though she would go deaf. What had caused it? Aurion. He had pointed his fingers at her and she started screaming in pain, her body in obvious pain. After a while, he stopped, the rest looking on in half delight, for seeing Arya Stark finally broken, and half horror, at seeing how.

The true horror was Aurion. The sorcerer was fear personified. 

"Speak ill of my Dany again and this pain you just felt, will be like soothing balm compared to what comes next!"

"So where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted?" He returned the smile on his face as if nothing had happened. "Oh, yes. We will invade the continent in the coming months. We have support from several great houses. We would like to add yours as well."

"Of course, whatever you need." As if she could say no after what she saw. Not that she was unwilling.

"And you should leave the North immediately. All of you. We have plans for it and we would like there to be no friends in this land when we execute our strategy here."

"If neither Jon nor me, the Faceless men will kill you. I am one of them." Arya had finally managed to mutter a treat.

"The faceless, yes I can smell them on you. You know the faceless men appeared first in Valyria? They mercy killed many slaves, toiling in the mines. But they got bold. They were so proud of their skills, that they started going after the masters, not the slaves. And one day, my father killed on of our father's slaves for some reason or another. The mother travelled all the way to Braavos, to the House of Black and White. Prayed for revenge - an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and a son for a son.

So, one day, one of them tried to poison me. They had killed several lords freeholder before, you see, felt confident. But I have this, you see.", he pointed at his bracelet.

"It glows when it detects a poison, even the unique venom of the Faceless. The look on his face, the poor thing. He tried to finish the job with a knife but I was faster. I pinned him to the wall and started peeling of his faces. You know, if someone tries to rip off a Faceless' face it feels to them as if you are skinning them. And I did several times. In the end, I ripped him apart, stuffed him in a box and sent it to the House of Black and White with a message. If I even so much as heard a sniff of them in Valyria, I would burn them all and Braavos, too. So since then, I believe they have warned each of their acolytes that lesser men defied the dragonlords of the Valyrian Freehold at their peril.", he finished and walked up to her.

"Where did you think that saying came from? You are not a member of the faceless - you got caught and for some reason you don't fear me, yet. But you will. I think I shaw take you to your cousin now, Jon Snow. You don't mind I hope?"

"No, not at all."

"Thank you."

"You should make contact with lord Baelor Hightower of Oldtown. He is our ally, too. He shall tell you more. See you soon, queen Yara!"

After that he departed on his dragon from here, with Arya Stark tied to it.

These Valyrians - follow them and they would give you your heart's desire, defy them and they will give you hell.

No middle ground!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know polar opposites - magic, torture and sex, same chapter. Am I crazy? Maybe.
> 
> What do you think of Sansa's inner fight?
> 
> Comment on what you think of all this craziness I am writing in the comment section. It will be appreciated:)
> 
> Next - post duel Jon and Tyrion


	13. Jon IV | Tyrion IV

**Valyria, New Valyrian Empire**

The dungeons, just like everything in Valyria were unique. It was actually not a dungeon, but a prison facility, located in one of the Fourteen Fires, the volcanoes surrounding Valyria. Back in the day, it must have been a real hellhole. These volcanoes were inactive since the Doom, but apparently whatever sorcery restored Valyria, restored their fire as well. Putting it simply, Jon was in hell. The heat was terrible. Jon's cell was actually more of a cage - bars on one side and three walls on the others. One of them with a window. You couldn't escape through the window though. Too narrow and with bars, too. A good view. Possibly part of the torture. Jon's neck was also chained to the wall with a chain that, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't break. There weren't many guards here, Jon hasn't counted more than a few dozen men, but who needed more.

Jon's burns were starting to heal. His captors had also cauterized his sword hand, which was cut at the elbow. They wanted him alive, to suffer. 

It has been weeks since Jon fought Aurion. Honestly, he still cannot believe what happened. 

Jon demanded a trial by combat, because he though this was a good way to die. Much better than being burned alive or devoured by a dragon. He also thought that he had a fighting chance. Jon assumed that due to his dragon and sorcery, Aurion would have been weak with a blade.

Jon couldn't have been more wrong.

The man had skill. Granted, his magic sword had given him a tremendous advantage, since he wasn't immune to fire like those two.

Still, even in a regular duel, Jon was not certain he could have won. Skill aside, the man had fierce determination - to avenge his wife. She was alive, the man hadn't known her before she had been killed by Jon, but still wanted to avenge her. He loved her. 

"Haaa, why did I even try to fight him?"

No answer. Jon suspected the guards here were staying only to feed him, so that Jon wouldn't starve to death.

They wanted to make him suffer by making him watch as they killed his family. Good thing they still didn't know about Val and their babe. Jon hoped that was the case.

Suddenly, he heard voices. One was in Valyrian, the other the common tongue. A person, a girl by the sound of it was screaming at the other. When they got closer, Jon's suspicion was proven. They had Arya.

"Let me go, you bastard. Urghh.", she screamed at the guard, but he just slapped her across the face and then locked her up in the cell, opposite to his.

She finally saw her cousin.

"Jon?! They truly have you. And your hand..."

"Aye. They got me. I put myself in quite the mess, didn't I?"

"No, we will get out of here. Wherever here is."

The guard, Tyroshi judging by his green-painted moustache, finally spoke: "You are in the House of Sorrow. It is where their Graces put people like you lot. Until your day comes, that is."

"Fuck you. We do not deserve to be here."

"Ha, as if I care. They only pay me to keep you uncomfortable and alive. There aren't other prisoners here, so enjoy each others company."

"Wait, what if we paid you to release us?", asked Jon.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha. As if I am stupid enough to piss off the dragons. What do I look like to you? Westerosi?"

The guard left them, still cackling.

"Fuck him Jon. We will find a way."

"What if we don't? I want to see my son again. By the looks of it, I won't have enough time to see him learn how to walk."

"You have a son? Congratulations! Who is the mother?"

"Val, a wildling. I won't see her again, either."

"Don't despair yet Jon. If we are still alive, there is a chance. We will simply wait till an opportunity presents itself. You will see them again. I promise."

"Don't make promises, you can't keep."

She was not wrong. If they want them to suffer, maybe they will take them to Westeros. The journey would be long. And maybe, we will find our chance there.

* * *

**King's Landing, Six Kingdoms, Westeros**

They were fucked. That was as simple as it was. Rumors of an impending invasion from Essos had been spreading like wildfire recently.

They were most likely right all things considered.

Jon is still not here - dead most likely.

Bronn was dead. Yep, lord Baelor HIghtower had finally made his move at a feast, following a tournament in Oldtown.  
Bronn's wife had been married hastily to Baelor's brother Garth, who styles himself Lord of Highgarden, while Baelor himself is recognized by most of the Reach as Lord Paramount of the Reach. 

Tyrion tried to sent a letter of recognition to Hightower to legitimize him but the reply he received was the letter currently in his hands:

_We recognize neither your authority nor that of your broken king, but that of the true monarch - Empress Daenerys I Targaryen of Valyria, Rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms._

_Signed: Lord Baelor HIghtower Lord of the Hightower, Voice of Oldtown, Defender of the Citadel and Lord Paramount of the Reach._

There was no help coming, from nowhere, except the North maybe. Well, queen Sansa had sent him a letter, too. She explained at length how the Ironmen had left her shores but now she had to protect her lands from Daenerys.

Sensible but useless. 

As if she has any chances, anyways.

"Do we know what are the traitors up to?", asked lord Royce. He still had the Vale, but Tyrion knew that if not for the man's honor, he would have ditched them long ago.

"Yes, my lord. According to our spies, the lords of the Reach are gathering their armies at Oldtown. In Preparation for Daenerys's arrival, no doubt. The Greyjoys are sailing there too."

"To invade them?", asked Davos with a faint glimmer of hope, waiting to be crushed.

"To join them most like. Last time we checked there were more than 60000 troops there and about 700 ships, if we combine the Iron and Redwyne fleets."

"Can we do something about this?", asked Bran. Yes, their king was gracing them with his presence at the small council now. 

"No.", strictly answered Bronze Yohn. "We do now have enough soldiers to directly oppose them. And we need all our warriors here."

"But if we ambushed and defeated the army, wouldn't Daenerys, loose all her allies here?", asked Davos.

"Do you want to force her to use her dragons to fight us, like last time?", asked Tyrion. We all know from the Battle of King's Landing, that the more we piss her off, the more people will die.

There is nothing we can truly do, but wait for her to come. How long till this annoying waiting was over?

Suddenly Grand Maester Samwell entered, former Grand Maester maybe. The Citadel no longer recognizes him as such.

"My lords, a message came from one of our spies in the Reach. An Essosi fleet, numbering more than a 100 ships has arrived at Oldtown. It was accompanied by two dragons."

And so it begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: the invasion begins.


	14. Baelor III | Daenerys V

**Oldtown, the Reach**

It has been sunny all day. So many people at the port. Mostly restricted to Baelor, his family and the lords from all the Reach, that had gathered there. Yara Greyjoy was there, too. It was a royal progress - Queen Daenerys and her husband were finally coming to Westeros. They could see them now - about a hundred ships, give or take. Two dragons were flying in the skies - the bigger one was black and the smaller one was red. Like the colors of the Targaryens. Baelor was hoping that they wouldn't make a mess of the harbor, but he thought they were controlled. Still, he was nervous. Not like anyone could be calm in a situation like this. 

Soon the ships stopped, all but one - the flagship. It was massive. Possibly the largest ship ever seen by Baelor and the others, judging by the looks on everyone's faces.

"The Braavosi trading ships are smaller in comparison.", exclaimed Yara.

Soon the ship docked and they disembarked, basked in the sound of their dragons' roars.

First was, what he presumed to be, the honor guard. 20 soldiers, Unsullied, the looks of it. And then came the couple - their future rulers.

Daenerys was wearing a black dress with a red cape, a brooch with a symbol carried by her whole entourage - the Targaryen three headed dragon surrounded by a silver serpent, biting its own tail. On her crown lay an intricate crown made of precious gems and gold, with the shapes of three dragons visible. 

Aurion's outfit consisted of an armor, emblazoned with their sigil. It had intricate design as well, the shapes of dragons all over it. An intricate longsword, hanging on his belt. What was more, both were obviously made of Valyrian steel. A whole kingdom's worth of treasure, carried on his person. A crown similar to hers, also on his head. His silver hair was short.

They both approached them, hand in hand.

"Greetings, your Graces. Welcome to Westeros. My name is Baelor Hightower Lord of the Hightower. It is an honor to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, my lord. Queen Yara, my lords thank you all for gathering here to greet us. Please, make arrangements for my troops to disembark within the city. My husband and I shall retire for now. We shall expect to talk with all of you during tonight's feast."

"Of course, your Grace."

After that, he did as they asked. That was brief. 

Tonight's feast came faster than one anticipated. It was full of nobles. They were in the same place where the last feast was held, the one that proved itself to be the last in lord Bronn's life. They had even extended invitations to all the high lords of Westeros, so Oldtown was really bursting with people. The highest ranking among them were Lord Gendry Baratheon, Prince Manfrey Martell and Lord Edmure Tully. 

"My lords and ladies!" Daenerys started talking. "It gladdens my heart that so many of you have gathered here. As you well know, we intend to reclaim what was stolen from me - my kingdoms. But this is not simple revenge. It is justice. For years, you have been ruled by foolish kings and corrupt politicians. People who did not know how to rule. All these people wanted was to maintain the system that put them into power. Well, you can forget about all that. For today, a new system of rule over Westeros will be established. A system in which Essos and Westeros shall cooperate, share their wonders and continue to develop. I know that some of you are thinking this to be an invasion from foreigners, but it isn't. It is about establishing a new and better future for our children."

Her speech was followed by the applause of all the people present. Whether it was honest or not, it didn't matter. They would not oppose her, they knew what she was capable of. 

"In two days, we march for King's Landing to remove those usurpers from MY city."

And so we did.

* * *

**King's Landing**

The second battle of King's Landing wasn't much of a fight. The Reach lords had 60000 soldiers and she had brought with her 30000 soldiers. That was about 10 times more than the enemy had. Apparently most of the lords in the Crownlands didn't want to die today. From the Westerlands either, it seemed. On her way to the capital some of the major lords of the West had come to her to bend the knee. That was welcome. She intended to place someone from the many minor Lannisters in the westerlands as the new lord of Casterly Rock. She even promised to let them pick the man. She preferred it to be their choice. She wouldn't make the same mistake as Tyrion had done in the Reach. And now she had taken it. She was standing in the throne room, again. No Iron throne. Now it was just a small puddle of molten metal, courtesy of Drogon. No throne was needed for a king who had a wheelchair.

"Where is the throne? What kind of a throne room, lacks a throne?"

"We will make a new one. Just like the one in Valyria."

"What now?"

"Now we relish in our victory."

"How so?", said he with a naughty look on his face.

"Not that way. That's for tonight. I intend to leave you breathless." A promise she will keep.

"Yes, your Grace.", he bowed mockingly.

She lifted his face and kissed him. I love this man. 

"Your Graces, shall I bring you the usurper and his servants. We made certain they lived, for your punishment.", said lord Baelor, coming out of nowhere.

"Yes, do so, but before that.", she pulled out a pin, she had made for him. It was only fitting she gave that to someone, who had proven his usefulness. "Baelor Hightower, I name you Hand of the Queen." She pinned it on his coat.

"Thank you, your Grace. I shall not disappoint you."

"Good, You know now how I handle disappointments." She didn't think he needed a reminder, but she had to be certain. "Bring them in."

And there they were. The ones who were supposedly better than her at ruling.

"Hello there, you must be Bran." Aurion spoke first.

"And you are the dark presence."

"Dark? Me? I would say, you reek of dark. Still, so much for the last greenseer. Do you have any power left?"

"What did you do to me?", asked Bran.

"Let's just say that you look like a crippled boy and that is all you are now. Until you die, that is."

"And when will that be?", asked Tyrion.

"When we decide.", said coldly Daenerys. "If it weren't for your terrible counsel, we wouldn't be here. But I see now, that you lot are doing fine without me."

"Have you come to gloat?"

"No, we came here to conquer."

"I personally, came here to gloat. Try, it's fun." She just gave him a stare. She had already learned how to control her husband. 

"What is to become of us?", asked Royce.

"You will all die, of course. If lord Arryn bends the knee before that, perhaps I shall spare you, lord Yohn."

"I shall write to him at once, your Grace." Well, someone is eager to save his skin.

"And you will simply kill us?" asked Bran.

"Sure, why not?"

"What happened to Jon?" asked Davos.

"Alive, imprisoned, but alive. For now.", said Dany. "You will meet soon. For the last time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next - executions and trip north


	15. Tyrion V | Yara II

**Red Keep, King's Landing**

Tyrion had lost track of time since the day he was imprisoned, the day Daenerys and her sorcerous husband had taken the city. She wanted him to watch firsthand as she rebuild and fixed all that was broken in the realm. In short, she had taken her consort's proposition - she was gloating.

The battle for the city wasn't much of a battle, we were greatly outnumbered and they had sorcery and dragons on their side, too. We didn't stand a chance. Not that Tyrion had been delusional before. He knew, even back then, back before she had come to Westeros, that her reconquest of the continent would be swift. The only thing that was uncertain was if it would be brutal as well. 

Well, it wasn't.

The realm was so tired of incompetent rulers that they had not only bowed to, but even embraced her autocratic regime. It seems that the people didn't really want to rule themselves. They just wanted to obey someone who could give good orders.

Even the commoners were starting to slowly forget about the firestorms raging across the city because of her. Almost unbelievable. And yet - a fact. Guess, people just want to move forward. A new start.

And they got that.

In the fighting, which was more like wailing children trying to escape their parent's inescapable punishment for breaking a vase, the city didn't suffer much damage. At least this time, she didn't burn down the city. She wiped out all the scorpions, which by the way couldn't even hit the two dragons. Then, she destroyed the gates and let her armies flood the city. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't much looting. Nor casualties.

Well, there were some resistance - ser Brienne chose to fight to the death for her king, and she did. Apparently, she managed to kill 12 people before being killed herself. Her head was now on the Traitor's Walk along with those of Tarly, ser Davos and lord Royce.

Yep, lord Royce was not so lucky. Apparently, young lord Robin Arryn had soaked in his lordship's trainings and lessons quite well. He had written back to the queen, saying that he would bend the knee if his puppeteer, lord Royce, was executed. He had to hand it to him, the boy was learning the game fast.

Pod was also dead most likely. He hard he had died in the fighting. 

Jon Snow and his sister, rather cousin, Arya had been kept imprisoned.

And all the lords of the realm were bending the knee to her. Well, all but Sansa. 

Today, a delegation from the Westerlands had come before her, consisting of most of the lords of the West, including a cousin - Damon Lannister. A handsome young man of nine-and-ten. Tyrion had never met him in person, but he had heard that the boy was married to Alysanne Lefford, the 17-year-old daughter of the late lord Lefford, who died fighting in the War of the Five Kings, who was also the ruling lady of The Golden Tooth. Tyrion had heard his father mention him once or twice when wondering who is to inherit the Rock, given his disappointing children.

Apparently, the boy was also in the minds of the lords of the Westerlands as well.

"Your Grace." Damon spoke. "My name is Damon Lannister and my fellow lords of the Westerlands have expressed their desire that I am to become the new Warden of the West. I pray that you will allow this."

"But of course, my lord. After all, this is what I promised to them. I believe that each region should willingly choose its lord paramount. Kneel before me!", she commanded.

She unsheathed the Valyrian steel short sword that was hanging on her belt and put it on Damon's shoulder: "Arise lord Damon Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and Warden of the West."

"Thank you, your Grace. I swear to you my absolute fealty and to always be your most loyal vassal." Said and rose lord Damon Lannister, the thief of Tyrion's birthright.

He barely looked at his dwarf cousin who was chained to the ground. Tyrion's prison was the throne room. A rather short chain held his neck to the ground, him dressed in rags. As further precautions, he was guarded by two guards, ordered to kill him immediately if he made a suspicious move.

The castle had been completely restored by Daenerys's people. It was surprising just how swiftly her builder could work. Well, Tyrion's would work quickly, too if they had two literal dragons breathing down their necks.

The city was being worked on even as they spoke.

"See, my former lord hand.", addressed him the queen, taking him away from his thoughts. "Even your own family has disowned you. I am quite glad for that. My lord, please leave us now.", she then addressed Damon and he and his entourage left.

"What will happen now?"

"Wait, until you admit that you were wrong about me and that I am the best ruler Westeros has ever had?!"

"Yes, quite a bloodless conquest this turned out to be. For a change, considering your previous one."

"People die in wars, my lord. Or were you born yesterday?"

"No, but tell me this: What next? I mean surely you do not expect for Sansa to surrender. And then you will have to butcher your way through half the North and kill Sansa, her child, Arya, me, Jon...."

"I loath Jon Snow. As you can clearly see, I have moved past him." 

Yes, that was obvious by the way she and her husband were acting. She had two thrones build for them and both were being frequently used for their making out sessions. In front of Tyrion. Their love was pure torture for Tyrion.

"As for next, we will see. True, Sansa Stark hasn't yet bent the knee, but all the rest have now."

"Well, congratulations. The Realm hasn't been so well unified since it rose in revolt against your father."

"Thank you, my lord. You seem aware of my superiority over your so called king."

Tyrion long had forgotten about the king, who the day after her conquest was killed by Aurion. The man had burned Bran the Broken alive with his magic. So much for the all seeing king's reign.

"When will I die?" Tyrion had already resigned himself to his fate.

"Later today. I no longer see the need to keep you alive. It seems that your former vassals no longer have any need or love for you. You are no longer needed."

In the evening, her soldiers unchained him and brought him to the courtyard. There were her dragons, her husband, and her vassals were in attendance.

"Tyrion Lannister for your false counsel and treason against the true queen, I sentence you to death! Dracarys!" She said the Valyrian command meaning 'dragon fire' to Drogon and the black behemoth blew his flames at Tyrion.

In his last moments, Tyrion came to regret many things, but had one small solace - he has had his fun - ruling, whoring, scheming, drinking, fighting. He even loved, more than once. It didn't end well every time, but who cares. At least he did.

He had done it all, he had no regrets.

Within seconds Tyrion Lannister vanished, leaving behind nothing but ash.

* * *

Tyrion Lannister had vanished in almost an instant. Yara though this was a very swift and merciful death. The pain lasted only seconds. Next they left for the small council chamber.

On the way there, she had been lost in thought.

Yara had given birth a few weeks after the conquest of the capital. She had a healthy girl that she named Dahlia Greyjoy. No lady, but a future warrior queen. She quite loved her little girl and so did Qarl, the father. He had shown a little disappointed for not having a son, but the threat of castration had swiftly changed his tune. Yara now had an heir. Very good. She might have lost her if not for the emperor. Yara was to remain queen of the Iron Islands but also join Daenerys's greater realm. She didn't mind. Yara had heard of all the wonders of Valyria and wanted that for her people to also enjoy. And thanks to her arrangement with the Imperial family, the Ironborn were going to do just that. No longer would her people be seen as little more than common pirates. They were going to leave the world a better place than they found it. Just as she had discussed with Daenerys, back in Meereen.  
So as a thanks for all that, she had to at least stay and watch them subjugate Westeros.

At the council:

"Only the North remains independent. That won't remain so.", said Daenerys in a most regal tone.

"Yes, your Grace. We have gathered here to resolve this. Our armies can invade from the seas, but we could loose thousands in the swamps of the Neck."

"What about the Final sanction?", asked Aurion. 

What was he talking about?

"We have discussed it. It is FINAL. There are still other ways.", opposed Daenerys.

"What is this Final sanction?" asked Edmure Tully.

"To finish what the Children of the Forest tried to do 8000 years ago - flood the neck and cut off the North from the rest of Westeros."

Everyone was looking at him in shock, even Yara.

So that's why he wanted us out of the North.

"What? It is the perfect vengeance, no? It would devastate the whole North. Don't fret though, lord Edmure. It won't affect the Riverlands."

"Is.....is that even possible?", asked Baelor Hightower, the Hand of the Queen.

"Theoretically, yes."

"Yes, he could, but he has to sacrifice thousands of people in order to execute the spell.", said Daenerys.

"The fighting would do that.", defended his idea Aurion.

"NO.", sternly forbid the queen. "My kingdoms shall not bleed any longer."

"Okay, so what do we do?", asked Aurion.

"We besiege them. A naval blockade on the eastern coast and ground one on the Neck. We will leave them isolated and starving. Until, they surrender to us."

"It might take months, or even years to accomplish that. The Northerners are a stubborn lot.", said Yara.

"We can strike at castles from the sky. Should make them realize the foolishness of resistance.", said Dany.

"Fine, what will we do with it after we take it?"

Before Aurion's question could be answered, one of the Conclave's archmaesters, who had come to the capital with lord Baelor and may well be soon appointed as Grand Maester, called Marwyn the Mage, had entered in a hurry.

"Forgive me, my lords and your Graces, but there has been an urgent message from the North."

"What is it?", asked Aurion.

"It is a surrender from Sansa Stark. She will be coming here. To bend the knee and swear fealty to Empress Daenerys Stormborn."

Well, that was anti-climactic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so dies Tyrion Lannister, no longer needed by anyone.
> 
> And Sansa surrenders. I know that all Stark haters wanted fire but I wanted something different for Sansa.  
I have been slowly killing the old Sansa, the Cersei Lannister knockoff version, and replacing her with the newer and better version of Sansa Stark.  
How this happens? Find out in the next chapter.


	16. Sansa IV | Aurion V

**King's Landing, Crownlands.**

Sansa and he entourage finally arrived at King's Landing. Sansa expected it to be burned down again but that was not the case. Surprisingly enough, there was almost no sign of damage. It was as if no war was fought here. No difference in the city. Well, except for the two dragons in the sky and the Targaryen three-headed dragon with a serpent surrounding it that adorned the city's banners. It had replaced the crowned three eyed direwolf banner that had been made for Bran. The developer of that monstrous sigil had been Samwell Tarly, who might be also gone by now. The capital was patrolled by soldiers, who did not seemed local. Many adorned in fanciful armors, Sansa had counted at least 7 different types.

All of them had only two things in common:

\- them wearing the new Targaryen banner in addition to whatever else symbol they wore;

\- and the way they looked at her.

Sansa's party consisted of herself, Karra, her husband and her son Eddard. As well as guards, of course. She didn't plan on getting killed on the road to the place where she most likely would get killed. Sansa brought those closest to her, not to gain Daenerys's pity. She didn't expect any. Rather, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her son and her lover. It may be selfish, especially given the fact that they might be forced to watch her die, but this was the last time for her to be selfish. 

Sansa surrendering took by surprise all those around her and most likely Daenerys herself. She did it because she didn't want to prolong the inevitable. From what she had heard, Daenerys currently ruled most of the Known World - Westeros and all the Free cities, maybe even beyond that. There was nowhere for them to run. And she refused to run any longer. Besides, that might make that mad queen wroth enough to burn all the North. She was not going to let that happen. With all the others involved in her downfall most likely dead, Sansa was now the focus of all of her hatred. Sansa dies and the destruction stops. Eddard most likely will be spared and made Lord of Winterfell. A puppet, but alive. She hoped that Karra would survive as well, the look after her son, together with Hoster. Karra would give her little Ned love and Hoster would hopefully teach him the important things from all the books he reads and make him a wise lord. The future would be secured and Sansa had prepared herself to die here.

As Sansa was entering the throne room at Maegor's holdfast, she saw she was not alone. All the lords of Westeros were there - Gendry Baratheon, Edmure Tully, Manfrey Martell, Yara Greyjoy, Robert Arryn as well as someone, who looked like a Lannister.

In the place where the Iron throne used to be, there was a new throne. It had two identical seats and both seats shared the same back, depicting the new Targaryen banner. The Throne was enormous and made of precious metals and stones. IT was beautiful, truly. The seats were taken by Daenerys and her mysterious consort, who shared her Valyrian features. Beside it stood three people - Baelor Hightower, who judging by his pin was the new Hand of the King, and some other man with Valyrian features and a stoic look.

What truly surprised her was the presence of Jon and her siblings. They were alive, Jon was missing an arm, but they lived. She could not believe it. Before she could have the chance to speak to them, Daenerys spoke first:

"Greetings, Queen Sansa of the North. As you might surmise from the people here, I rule Westeros now. It is most wise of you, to come to surrender to me."

"Let's end this farce already!" Sansa spoke, unwilling to prolong this too much. "You want me dead, here I am. Just...please, I beg of you....spare the North and my family. My son, my husband, my servants. They have committed no crimes against you. My singular crime is oath-breaking, which I now realize has led to so many deaths, including yours. I know that you will not spare my life, so I shall not beg for it."

Sansa stepped forward, ahead of the rest of her party. "Go ahead, end my reign."

Daenerys and everyone here looked shocked. As if they thought this would have a different ending.

"You know nothing Sansa Stark." Those were Daenerys's words.

After pondering their meaning for a while, she spoke.

"So you do not wish to kill me?!", spoke Sansa in a sarcastic tone.

"Once upon a time, I did. Back when I was being resurrected, the first feelings I got back were ones of hatred. I felt this way for months afterwards. I might have been cursed to spend my new life as a mindless, heartless beast, if not for him."

She pointed to the man sitting on their throne. "Aurion, my husband, my savior. I awoke him, when I found him in the ruins of Valyria. Ruins that now are a thriving city of wonders once again, all thanks to him. But truthfully, he saved me also from being a monster. The monster I became, thanks to all the losses I suffered here, madness that blossomed thanks to the indifference and outright hostility of many people."

She looked at Jon and Sansa and Bran. "Since, we stared our empire building, I couldn't help but think about all the mistakes we all made. I thought I was barren for years, but the proofs of that being a lie are two young babes named Rhaegar and Rhaenyra, who are currently in Valyria."

"What is the point of telling me all this? That we are responsible for what you did here? In this city?" Sansa resisted the urge to laugh.

"No, my lady. I mean that everyone here bears some of the guilt. Nobody is innocent. But if we are not willing to abandon all that hatred and murderous intent, then what is the point of all these wars? Let's just kill each other and get it over with. Maybe, we should have just let the Night King kill us all. Instead, we fought. For life itself."

What the hell is she talking about? Everyone, but Aurion, was looking at her with surprise in their eyes. But they all listened carefully. 

"So, you see, I have no intention of killing anymore of you. As you can see, Jon has been relieved of the hand with which he stabbed me and has suffered for his treason."

The one handed, scarred by burns Jon Snow looked at Aurion, who said: "Did you honestly think that you would get out of our duel alive if we wanted you dead. You truly know nothing, Jon Snow."

Daenerys continued, paying no attention to that brief exchange: "Tyrion and his pathetic excuse of a small council have been executed. Your brother is alive, though he has been relieved of his abilities, courtesy of my husband's magical prowess. Your sister has done me no harm, though she has done harm to others." She said looking at Yara. "She has suffered greatly for it, I assure you."

Sansa didn't expect any of this. She couldn't have. What is going on here?

"What is to become of us?" If not executions, then what?

"Sansa Stark you will relinquish your crown here and now, bend the knee and swear me and my bloodline yours and that of your family's allegiance in perpetuity. Then, you will rise as Lady of Winterfell, Lady Paramount of the North and Wardeness of the North. Your son, Eddard Stark, will live to rule after you. Arya Stark shall live in the North with you, forbidden to ever leave it under the pain of death."

"Don't think you could sneak out, faceless girl.", added Aurion, addressing Arya. "Trust me, I will know. No one can hide from me."

Daenerys continued: "Brandon Stark and Jon Snow shall both be exiled to the Lands Beyond the Wall, to live with the wildlings at Hardhome. And Jon Snow.", she addressed Jon. "You are not to leave it ever again. You will remain its ruler as it is apparently now a territory of the crown. The only useful thing Tyrion did. You best rule it properly."

Sansa was surprised. She didn't expect this. She and her family will live. She will not have to say her farewells to Karra. She will see her son grow old and fall in love. All this emotional growth, she has been experiencing recently, was not all for naught. 

All she will loose is that accursed crown that she has sacrificed so much for.

"Do you accept?" asked Daenerys.

Sansa gave no answer. She walked to the throne and removed her crown from her head. It was simplistic, a headband with direwolf heads at each end. She tossed it at Daenerys's feet and knelt.

"I, Sansa Stark, renounce my crown and the independence of the Kingdom of the North and swear my house's allegiance to you, Daenerys Targaryen, and to your family for the rest of time. And...thank you for relieving me of that blasted crown."

"Rise Sansa Stark - Lady of Winterfell, Lady Paramount of the North and Wardeness of the North. You and all your subject are now my subject and under my protection."

* * *

Aurion was quite surprised at this turn of events. He thought that Sansa Stark would resist to the bitter end. From what he was told of her character, he assumed she was the type of fool, that would spin in the dragon's face rather than kneel. He was wrong.

He was wrong about his wife, too. She was growing as a person. She was great and wise. She was strong enough to abandon the past and embrace the future.

Aurion instead erased the past, by trying his best to erase all the traces of the Doom of Valyria. He had commissioned the restoration of the Valyrian roads and even expanded them to create a network of roads, linking all their cities. He had made certain that many people from the former colonies would start repopulating Valyria, trying to restore its population. 

Daenerys had not fought the pain, she overcame it. Poured her goodness over it and smothered the flames of her hatred.

Aurion was certain that all the people here were surprised at this strange act of forgiveness. Aurion learned of it last night, after having sex with his wife. A strange method of interrogation to be sure, but she was so often getting lost in thought that he needed ways to distract her and make her divulge what was on her mind. This was one of them.

Daenerys was not done speaking however, he knew, there was more, one more announcement. He rose as well and took her hand:

"As of today, the Six Kingdoms, the Kingdom of the North and the New Valyrian Empire will cease to exist. Today marks the day of the birth of a new unified realm - The First World Empire. A realm that shall have as its goal to unify the whole world. An empire that shall draw the full potential of its subjects, for them all to live in peace and prosperity and splendor forevermore. An Empire for the people, the perfect realm, for the benefit of all humanity."

And so they announced their goal for all to hear. They shall take the world from the hands of the incompetent fools, who fancy themselves rulers, and they shall unify it. 

The audience erupted into a thunderous applause. If only they realized, that this was no idle boast, but their true goal.

They shall leave the world better than they found it.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise right. Almost everyone gets a happy ending. Sorry haters, but I like the idea of redemption and emotional growth. 
> 
> Next chapter - The Epilogue, aka the ending my characters deserve. Not the last chapter though. Each of my POVs will have their own POV epilogue, including one overall. Four in total.


	17. Epilogue 1: Sansa | Jon

**Winterfell, The North - 320 AC**

It has been almost 15 years since the Day of the Foundation of the World Empire. They celebrated it annually these days. That was the day that Sansa Stark did as Torhen Stark did all those years ago, when he knelt before the dragons. And to be honest, she was not regretting it. 

I mean sure, she was no longer a queen, but so what. She still rules the North. Granted, most of the lords were giving her mean looks, for 'betraying' them. As if they wouldn't have burned if she hadn't done that. Still, most of them had stopped pestering her after a while. After they had seen the benefits. 

And they were huge. The so called world empire encompassed all of Westeros and all of Essos all the way to the Jade sea. At least for now. She had no doubt that Daenerys intended to conquer the whole world. And that wouldn't be so bad. 

It was indeed surprising that the woman who burned down King's Landing, was now unifying the world. Sansa had a hard time believing all that. One thing was certain though - she lived better now.

No troubles with the neighboring kingdoms.

No more famine, given that trade was abundant. Traders from all over the world were coming...well...from all over the world empire.

No more raiding from the Ironborn.

Sansa was living peacefully now. And living. She had gone to King's Landing intending to die and now she lived. 

Her son, Eddard, was turning into a fine young man. Sansa was currently watching him spar with the master-at-arms. He was getting better each day. Soon, she would have to find him a bride.

And Karra was still by her side. They were still in love with each other, even after all these years. They were no longer even pretending not to be together. Her husband Hoster Blackwood had died 5 years ago in a ridiculous riding accident. Sansa was sad about his passing. She didn't love him but had grown fond of the man. But because of that Karra and her were no longer pretending to be just a master and a servant. They could display affection for one another openly now, they no longer minded other people's opinions.

Karra was helping her a lot with her duties. Including the raising of her other child - the 7 year old Lyarra Stark. Now, Sansa had a daughter, too.

Sansa was still sometimes thinking to be dreaming all this, but everyday she was waking up, she knew she was wrong. Proof number one being Karra lying naked beside her.

Arya was with her, too. Arya had a harder time living in peace. She was a creature of war. A fighter. What does a fighter do, when there are no more fights?

She was the cool aunt. Refusing to marry. Though she was shagging with a certain young man. There might be nephews or nieces in the future.

The winter town near Winterfell had swiftly expanded into a larger city that was these days surrounding Winterfell and was now called Winterheart. Sansa's coffers were getting more secured. 

The North had grown prosperous under the reign of Daenerys Targaryen, First World Empress. And that was a fact. Sansa still didn't like her that much, but that woman was good at ruling.

Sansa couldn't deny that.

* * *

**Hardhome, Lands Beyond the Wall**

Jon had gotten back to Hardhome not in one piece. One handed. Jon could no longer fight and frankly, he had no desire to. His wife, Val was not all too happy to see him one handed, but she hugged him tightly none the less. 

Overall, Jon's situation hadn't changed that much since he left for Braavos.

Tormund simply laughed, saying that Jon was lucky to be alive in the first place.

His son now had a name. They called him Aemon, after the maester who had taught Jon so much. Tormund was teaching him how to hunt. 'Uncle Giantsbane', as Aemon called him, was quite the good teacher. Who knew? Certainly, not Jon.

Bran now lived with them, though still a cripple and no longer having greensight. He was still a warg however and had bonded to a bear recently. Bran was no longer so obstinate and aloof as he was back then. The old Bran was back now. And he was getting close to a wildling girl named Zygga. Guess, there is someone for everyone. It seems that Bran has also forgotten much of what happened since he first went beyond the Wall. Probably better that way. 

Hardhome was turning into a thriving port now thanks to the new system implemented by the Empire. It had also become much larger, the wildlings fucked like rabbits. They needed space.

All in all, Hardhome was turning into a proper city.

Jon was not allowed to leave Hardhome and neither was Bran. And to be honest, Jon didn't mind. Both of them liked it here.

And Sansa and Arya visited them every once in a while. 

Surprisingly enough, the Starks had ended up happy. None of them it would be so, since the day they heard of Daenerys's return.

One of her conditions was that Jon was to forever abandon his Targaryen lineage. She had forever cut ties with him.

He just wanted to stay with his family. Jon just wanted peace now. And now he had it.

Let the world be the world.

Jon was finally at rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next is the Epilogue for Baelor and Yara.


	18. Epilogue 2: Baelor | Yara

**Queen's Landing, Crownlands**

After it was completely rebuild and renovated, the former city of King's Landing was renamed Queen's Landing. A bit of an arrogance on the Empress's part, but well deserved. The city needed a new name for after more than 15 years, it was completely unrecognizable. After having demolished the ruins left from its burning, the queen had ordered that the city be rebuild from scratch. Unfortunately, there was nowhere for the people living there to go to, so it had to be done in parts. Last year, the city was completely renovated.

Now it was twice the size of the previous city. The Red Keep was the final project and was completely demolished and rebuilt as a monstrous castle called Dragonheart. It was larger than the previous one and much more intimidating. It had seven towers that reached the heavens and Baelor was certain that they were as tall as the Hightower. It was built in the style of the buildings in Valyria, the capital of the empire. Baelor had the pleasure of going there once, to the heart of the empire, and was overwhelmed.

That castle was built to impress upon the people the glory of their rulers, and that worked. 

Anyways, the castle now housed mostly Baelor himself, his wife and children, and the government of the regions of Westeros. Baelor was titled as Empress's hand and Chief administrator of the Westerosi provinces. The court consisted of at least one representative of each of the regions of Westeros, merchant leaders and others. 

The Government of the Empire was technically split in two - Westeros and Essos. His colleagues in Valyria were the ones who had more direct contact with the Emperor and Empress, though at least one of them travelled here every once in a while, at irregular intervals, to check up on things.

There was no longer feudal levies as that was considered an outdated system. One of Baelor's first tasks was to organize and equip an imperial legion to police the country. It consisted of 10000 men, all horse, all well trained.

The citadel had a new task, to gather, translate and copy all sorts of documents form across the empire so that knowledge would never be lost. Also, small schools were founded in every city and town across the country so that the people would learn some basic and important things.

The city of Queen's Landing had public baths, larger markets and a temple for all the major religions, the largest being those of the Faith of the Seven and of the Lord of Light. The Faith had a new great sept built called The Great Sept of Daenerys. 

Not that he believed that the imperial family believed in any Gods. Aside from themselves.

Baelor had a lot of work to do but he didn't mind. He was overseeing probably the first Golden Age of Westeros. Towns were being rebuilt and repopulated and crime, in the form of brigands, marauders and other such gangs were brought to extinction thanks to the imperial legion policing the country. 

Trade from all over the empire was stabilizing the economy. 

Westeros hasn't been so united in its history. Everything was peaceful, it was unbelievable. And it was good. 

No more wars, the legions of the empire and the dragons, commanded by the imperial family, made sure of that.

His brother Garth and his new wife, lady Clementine, have given him nephews and nieces. They were left in charge of the Reach as he was busy ruling the entire former realm.

All in all, it was all good for house Hightower. And the rest of Westeros. 

* * *

**Pyke, Iron Islands**

The Ironborn were undergoing massive changes under Yara's reign. Daenerys had forbidden raiding and pillaging so they had to make due in other ways, chiefly trade. Turns out, the ironmen's prowess at sea travel had its uses. They travelled all over the world, mapping out all the places they went to. Daenerys had commissioned a map of the world and that task was a challenge Yara was enjoying.

The queen of the Iron Islands was getting involved in the world trade. 

Her fleets were travelling to the far corners of the world and bringing untold wealth to the Iron Islands. 

The Iron Islands had started building their first proper city - Ironmen Cove, on the island of Pyke. It was mostly a trade hub for all the trade passing from the far east to the west coasts of Westeros. 

Pyke castle itself was torn down and rebuilt. It was no longer a damp and inhospitable keep, whose towers were connected by shaky bridges. It was now a tall and proud castle, nothing too fancy, but strong and safe, build in the center of Ironmen Cove. It was a much better home for Yara than Pyke castle ever was and more importantly, a better home for her daughter, Dahlia. The new castle of House Greyjoy was called Iron Rock.

Her daughter Dahlia was turning into a great sea captain that made her mother proud. Her daughter was growing strong, clever and quite beautiful, with long black hair and dark eyes. At age sixteen, she was already capable of leading her people. She even captained her own ship called the Sea Queen, gifted to her by Daenerys on Yara's daughter's fifteenth nameday.

Yara's reign had never been more secure. Her people never more prosperous. 

Per her request, Yara had remained titled queen, though she had willingly joined Daenerys's Empire. It was beneficial for everyone. 

There were still those who preferred raiding to trading, but they were getting fewer and fewer.

The Iron Islands would no longer be treated as a cesspool and the ironborn as pirates by the Greenlanders. They would be respected.

Her people would no longer need to resort to pillage to sustain themselves either.

Her daughter would never suffer the hardships of the ironborn of old, instead she would be able to enjoy herself, going on adventures and will be proud of her people.

Truly, it was a new age for the Ironborn. All courtesy to the new world order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next - epilogue 3


	19. Epilogue 3: Daenerys

**Valyria, First World Empire**

Daenerys and Aurion could finally live in peace. All of their enemies were either dead or subjugated. Their empire was now expanding to encompass the whole world. To unify it. The only way to ensure there would be no more wars was to make certain there was only one realm. 

After they were done with Westeros, they turned their eyes to the east. Beyond the Bone mountains lay the Golden Empire of Yi Ti. The empire claimed to be the first and oldest nation in the world, but it had been torn apart by warlords. It was fractured and in a constant state of civil war since before Daenerys was born. She and her imperial legions, they had formed, fixed that. The people living in the empire were tired of the constant civil wars that plagued their country's existence. They basically welcomed their conquerors. The Golden empire became part of the World Empire. 

They even started to colonize Sothoryos. Aurion's spells managed to make it habitable and they found a lot of interesting flora and fauna there. They rebuild the cities of Zamettar and Gogossos. 

Later on, they even visited Ulthos and met with the winged men who joined their empire willingly.

For their empire was not one of tyranny but of unity. To unite the whole world into a single peaceful and prosperous realm.

Even though, Dany's priority was to liberate the slaves she came across, what she truly enjoyed was the conquest. It seems that Daario was right, Daenerys Stormborn was a conqueror above all.

Despite the fact that, once upon a time, Aurion lived in a society reliant on slaves, he was not all too fond of the institution. He preferred to have servants around him to do minor tasks for him, but he wasn't one of those that bought and sold people for sick pleasure. He was simply a man devoted to magic and, these days, to family. He had never really cared about politics. Even these days, he was occasionally helping her with them and slowly learning from her, but it was obvious that he did not enjoy the so called 'game'.

While Dany had to go away to partake in politics or battles far away, Aurion preferred to stay back in Valyria with the children. Rhaegar and Rhaenyra had recently turned sixteen and Aurion was already teaching them about magic, while Dany educated them on politics and dragon riding. They also had another child, a daughter they called Visenya. 

Rhaegar was growing into a fine young man, whereas Rhaenyra was going to be even more beautiful than her mother. She also was a devoted student of her father in terms of magic. They were very proud of them both.

Visenya was 10 years old, but she was promising already, given her insatiable lust for knowledge. In the their absence, the children were taken care of by Aenea and her husband, Gaemon Venerys, who was their Emperor's hand. 

The Hand system was based on the Westerosi Hand of the king, though theirs served as overall administrators of larger territories.

The Emperor/Empress's hands, the gender being used interchangeably, depending on the ruling monarch, currently were: Baelor Hightower for Westeros, Gaemon Venerys for the former Free cities and Lo Tai of Yi Ti.  
Others would be appointed soon enough as well, once they found worthy enough people.

Their family preferred to live in Valyria, the capital of their realm, but on occasions they travelled across their empire, to remind the people who it is that brings them prosperity and peace. To whom they owe their fealty.

Daenerys had finally buried the past and atop its grave, she had built a new magnificent world. One day, the people won't even be able to imagine just how divided and broken the world really was. Maybe, soon enough the world will be in perpetual peace. 

She can only hope, that what she is doing is right, but one thing is certain:

Daenerys Targaryen loves her husband and their children. She is happy, her regrets have began to fade and Daenerys was content. She was going to devote herself to them and to building a better tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next - the final part of the epilogue. And of this story.


	20. Epilogue 4: The End

**Imperial Palace, Valyria**

And so father finished telling us their story. The story of how their parents united the whole world under their rule. Rhaenyra and Rhaegar had heard that story dozens of times, but they always loved hearing it again. Maybe because father loved to make it sound more fantastic every time he told it.

"Why did you have to skip over most of the conquests? You talked only of Westeros and the Free cities.", asked Rhaegar.

"Because that was the most important my boy. The beginning is always the hardest, then it gets easier." her mother answered.

The Great Unification was still ongoing even after 60 years. There were many undiscovered lands, they were certain. Rhaenyra and Rhaegar would have something to do when they finally got their turn to rule. Not that they were in a hurry.

Even though her parents had lived through more than 80 namedays, they still looked very youthful. So did Rhaegar and Rhaenyra, even though they were in their sixties. That was because of father's great prowess in magic. He had cast a spell over their entire bloodline, that made it so they retained their youth longer. They would begin to age rapidly only when they were about to die, at 100 years, at least. That made their people believe them to be near gods. And maybe in a way they were. After all, the gods were supposed to be the creators of the world. And Daenerys and Aurion, the emperor and empress of the world, were the creators of this new world. Honestly, Rhaenyra had a hard time believing her parents' stories. Could the old world really have been that fractured?

Rhaegar and Rhaenyra already had children of their own - Jaehaerys, Vaelor, Rhaenys, Alysanne and Aelyx. A few grandchildren, too. Vaelor and Alysanne had twins - Helaena and Naerys, while Jaehaerys and Rhaenys had a son called Maelor.

Their sister, Visenya, on the other hand had several lovers, mostly female ones. She was quite gorgeous, even more so than Rhaenyra. Any man or woman she desired was hers. Her harem included women from all over the world. Many of them were the beautiful daughters of wealthy magisters or lords who wanted to curry favor with the imperial family. Visenya didn't care for that, and after a while in her harem, neither did the women. An ageless beauty like the rest of them, Visenya had accumulated dozens of lovers over the years. Unlike her siblings though, Visenya had only one child - Daena, a daughter who was on her way to become just like her mother.

Their rather large family, the entire Targaryen-Balaerys dynasty, all gathered here, in the Great Hall of the palace, where their parents had gathered them for supper. And as usual, storytelling.

"Yeah, grandpa is right, please tell us more about the winged people. Did they have dragons like us? Or were they half human, half dragon creatures?" asked Maelor. He was only 6 years old and was such a curious little thing. He would have a dragon one day, but he was still too young for that, and this fact vexed him.

"Well, they looked like normal people. Except they had wings. But not leathery ones like those of dragons but made of feathers. Like birds.", explained father. 

Her parents loved storytelling and generally spending time with the family in Valyria. Most of them preferred to stay here, too. For the last ten years though, her parents had decided to leave much of the responsibility to Rhaegar and Rhaenyra. The twins travelled all over the world, to show all their people to whom they owe their fealty. This way, they were getting ready for the time when they themselves would rule. 

Her brother-husband was better at politics and riding his black dragon - Avaloth. Mama's boy since day one. Rhaenyra was the opposite. Her father had been teaching her how to practice magic and she getting just as good as he was. Her golden scaled dragon's name was Starchaser, who, to her great pleasure, was larger than Avaloth.

Regardless of those minor differences, they would rule well, Rhaenyra was certain. 

"Listen now.", announced mother. "We have been thinking that we should visit Westeros soon enough. I would like for you all to accompany us. All of us riding our dragons, on a royal progress throughout the continent."

"Sounds awesome. We will definitely come." said Vaelor, obviously speaking for all of Rhaenyra's children.

"Riding dragons is all well and good, but what would I do for so long without my girls to entertain me.", asked Visenya. She might sound a bit slutty, but was every inch like the Valyrians of old. If she didn't get what she wanted, she could be a royal pain in the ass. Or in her case, if she didn't get a pretty girl between her legs every so often, she could get very moody. Which wouldn't bode well for the people beneath her flying azure dragon - Majestix.

Her parents were always very patient with all of their family members and her mother replied: "Perhaps you can find someone else to catch your interest there. Just this time, don't pick them off the ground with your dragon's claws. Like that one time."

"I promise. Sheesh, pick a girl off the ground with the intention to make her feel like she was in the seven heavens and people start talking about you as if you are some kidnapper." It was quite the accident, back then. Visenya was six-and-ten and already a dragonrider. She had liked some noble girl's looks and picked her off the ground, while flying on her dragon. It took all of their mother's charm (and a small bag of gold) to make the girl's father forget the accident. Rhaenyra had laughed a lot that day.

"Well, maybe you should ask permission first.", said Jaehaerys.

"A dragon doesn't ask permission, dear nephew. A dragon demands."

Rhaenyra made a sigh of relief that Visenya had no interest in ruling anything apart from her monstrously large harem. She loved her sister dearly, but when Visenya wanted something, it didn't matter what anyone else thought on the matter, she simply took it.

After this, they all went to bed. It was getting late. They had to get some sleep. Soon enough they would be flying off for Westeros.

Should be fun. 

It was an interesting place, by all accounts, no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was it. Thanks to all my readers, for sticking along for the ride. It was fun writing this story. IT was my first long fic - 20 chapters. Thanks to everyone who left kudos and commented their views in the comment section. 
> 
> If you liked this and want to read another work of mine, check out The Dragon and the Lioness. 
> 
> Also, I have been planning another fiction about Dany and it is going to be totally different from this one so stay tuned.
> 
> Thank you all!!!


End file.
